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THE CENTURION 


A Romance of the Time of the Messiah 


Vere hie homo filius Dei erat, 

— S^. Marky XV y so. 


BY 

A. B. ROUTHIER 


TRANSLATED FROM THE' FRENCH BY LUCILLE P, BORDEN 


> 1 > 

ST. LOUIS. MO., 1910 

Published by B. Herder 
17 South Broadway 

FREIBURG i/B. I LONDON, W. C 

Germany 1 68, Great Russell St. 


Copyright, 1910 
By Joseph Gummersbach 


— BECKTOLD— 
PRINTING AND BOOK MFG. CO. 
ST. LOUIS, MO. 


AUTHOR’S PREFACE 


The book which we now offer to the public is an 
historical romance, in which are recounted and de- 
scribed the principal events of the Messianic epoch in 
Palestine, with the religious, social and domestic con- 
flicts which they excited there at that time. 

The historical part is strictly in accordance with the 
narration of the Evangelists, and we have borrowed 
its elements as well as the French translation of its 
text, from the best authorized historians. 

The romantic part, or the fiction, unfolds itself side 
by side with the historical, without either altering or 
defacing it, but lending a certain interest which is 
pleasing to most people in the world. 

The aim of the book is to inspire a desire for the 
study of the gospels, whose interest for all Christians 
should be powerful. 


A. B. Routhier. 




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THE CENTURION 


PART I 
LETTERS 

I 

GALILEE 

CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

F or more than ten months, I have commanded the 
little garrison of Magdala in Galilee and, with- 
out forgetting either Rome or my dear friend Tullius, 
I begin to find this far away country, which had at 
first appeared one of exile, both interesting and agree- 
able. 

We occupy a fortress built upon a rocky cliff, on 
the border of a very beautiful lake which the Galileans 
call the Sea of Genezareth. At the foot of the for- 
tress lies a little village which slopes down towards the 
lake. On the neighboring heights are terraced orange 
trees and vineyards, together with several villas belong- 
ing to rich Jews and Greek merchants. Along the 
strand lie the barques of the fishermen. They are 
beautiful when in the morning they take their flight to 
I 


2 


THE CENTURION 


the high seas and again towards evening, when with 
tired wings, like great wounded birds, they come home 
to the nest. 

The society of Magdala is not numerous but suf- 
ficiently choice. None of their customs are too aus- 
tere. The pleasures of Rome are lacking, obviously, 
and it is always with a sigh that we recall the Forum, 
the Field of Mars, the Baths, the Theatres and the Cir- 
cus. But the pleasures of our over-refined civilization 
had absorbed me too much, so here I am happy to re- 
gain possession of myself. In this Oriental atmos- 
phere, which the breath of the desert renews unceas- 
ingly, I once more become free. This country and 
this people interest me strangely in other respects. 
They are much older than Rome, and, notwithstanding 
this, I find them very much younger. 

Civilization has aged us before our time. We have 
had barely seven or eight centuries of existence, while 
the Jewish people have had twice as many. In spite 
of this, their faith, their beliefs, are still vigorous, 
whilst our own are flickering and will soon die out. 

Here the population seems gifted with eternal youth, 
like the nature which surrounds it. Why should it 
become old? Its inland sea, its sky, its mountains, its 
forest, its sacred stream the Jordan, remain always 
unchanged, and, above all, it has been able to retain, 
together with the candor, the naivete, and the illusions 
of childhood, the invincible hope of a great future. 

What has been happening here for more than a 
year is proof of it. One hears on all sides of nothing 
but preaching and prophecies concerning a Messiah 


GALILEE 


3 


expected for centuries, who shall at last come to de- 
liver His people and to re-establish the kingdom of 
Israel. 

Since my arrival, I have heard that a great prophet 
whose name is John has been teaching multitudes in 
the desert and baptizing them in the waters of the Jor- 
dan. And now they boast another prophet, greater 
than the first, who preaches in the synagogues, who 
cures the sick and the infirm, who gives sight to the 
blind and speech to the dumb. 

While waiting to inform myself more fully upon 
these events which move the crowd so singularly, I 
admire the beauties and attractions of this sunlit 
country. I understand that the Jewish Prophets have 
chosen it for the establishment of the Kingdom of 
God. If their ancient Eden, their lost Paradise, could 
somewhere be recovered, it is here, and if the Golden 
Age sung by Ovid might be reborn, the Lake of Genez- 
areth should become its cradle. 

Apropos of this, thou rememberest that our poet 
had placed this Golden Age in the beginning of the 
world, and that he finished it in the Garden of the 
Hesperides, where there was a wonderful tree bearing 
golden fruit and guarded by a monstrous serpent. 
From whence came this legend to him? Without 
doubt he found its elements in the poems of Hesiod; 
but from whence had Hesiod taken it? Well, my 
friend, he found it in the books of Moses, which were 
over fifteen centuries old and which recounted that the 
first man had been placed in a Garden of Delights and 
that he was driven out of it by God because he had 


4 


THE CENTURION 


eaten the fruit of a wonderful tree at the suggestion 
of the Spirit of Evil, disguised in the form of a ser- 
pent. 

Is it not interesting to establish, undeniably, the fact 
that the most ancient poets of Greece and our Ovid 
appear to have borrowed the theme of their cosmo- 
gonical poems from the Holy Books of the Jews? 

Thou canst not imagine with what interest I study 
Hebrew in these extraordinary books that the Jews 
call their “ Bible.’’ Whatever leisure my military 
duties allow me I consecrate to them, and, when I am 
tired, I mount my horse and wander through the 
country. 

Galilee measures scarcely one hundred square miles, 
and in it can be counted about two hundred villages, 
fifteen towns and nearly three million inhabitants. A 
great number of these people are Greek, and several 
of the towns are even more Greek than Jewish; but, 
despite this exotic admixture and notwithstanding the 
Roman domination, this country has remained Jewish, 
and the dominating power is still a theocratic author- 
ity. 

The soil is fertile and the country picturesque. 
Sometimes mountainous, again simply hilly, it pro- 
duces grain, vineyards, olive trees, fig trees, and fur- 
nishes rich pasture for the herds. 

Its beautiful miniature sea is a radiant jewel, mag- 
nificently enshrined; what doubles the brilliancy of 
its play of color is the bath of light into which it is 
always plunged. I spend hours watching the fishing 
boats that float upon it. They remind me of Castel- 


THE BANKS OF THE JORDAN 5 

lamare where I was born, and there are moments when 
I forget that I am in the Orient. 

It is really the sun of Italy that bleaches these far 
away sails and traces paths of light and fire on the 
waves disturbed by the breeze. It is even the same 
lapis-lazuli sky, lined here and there with grey and 
white. 

But when my eyes rest upon the broad pathway, 
Italy fades away and the Orient reappears. Caravans 
defiling slowly to the rocking step of camels along the 
great roads that lead from Tyre, Sidon and Damascus ; 
camps of Arabs, who pursue their nomad life across 
the desert; shepherds driving their flocks along the 
slope of the mountains; Jews draped in wide showy 
tunics, their women veiled and carrying great am- 
phorae upon their heads, coming to draw water at the 
public fountains — everything reminds me that I am 
far away from Rome. 

V ale j November 5th, Year of Rome ^80, Magdala. 


H 

THE BANKS OF THE JORDAN 
CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

I HAVE just returned from a trip along the Jor- 
dan, as far as the Dead Sea, on the east side, 
crossing the mountains of Peraea. It is very much 
wilder than the left bank and infinitely more pictur- 
esque. The Dead Sea and that of Genezareth are like 
two great vessels filled to the top with the same liquid ; 


6 


THE CENTURION 


but how very different they are ! The one is gracious, 
laughing, fragrant as the chalice of love, its sweet 
waters fertilizing and embellishing the shore; while 
the other is full of water bituminous and bitter as the 
cup of hatred and the anger of a god. Vainly the 
Jordan empties into it her overflowing urn; it is swal- 
lowed up as if in a whirlpool and rises no more. Its 
sacred, blessed wave that bears prosperity throughout 
all Galilee becomes a curse as it falls into the Dead 
Sea, spreading desolation and death upon its arid 
banks. 

This sea is really a curious phenomenon, and I find 
it difficult to explain its origin without having recourse 
to the Jewish books, which tell how once, in a day of 
anger, nearly fifteen centuries ago, Jehovah opened 
this abyss to engulf five sinful cities. 

I turn quickly from this desolate shore, and re- 
turn with joy to the banks of my beautiful Lake of 
Galilee, following the left side of the Jordan. 

From my window I can see a graceful bay hollowed 
out between two hills, like an amphora with its two 
arms, and when night comes, the little boats with their 
white sails lie upon it, and Venus, leaning from her 
celestial balcony, casts over its surface her brilliant 
radiance. 

Our rural divinities, in whom these people do not 
believe, lavish here their favors and their riches with 
a generosity not shown to us who worship them, — 
worship them in unbelief. For while we offer them 
our adoration, are we convinced of their reality? 

I have brought from Rome into Palestine my gods. 


7 


THE BANKS OF THE JORDAN 

my Lares; they are placed around a little altar on 
which I always keep the sacred fire burning. They 
are now the only ones in whom I still have faith. The 
flame rising from this hearth, which I contemplate in 
my evening dreams, still speaks to my soul. It is alive, 
shines, enlightens and rises over my house as if to 
show me that there is a better land beyond this earth 
on which we live. 

Vesta! The great Vesta! She is the divinity I 
love best, because she is pure, because she is a virgin. 
Speak to me no more of Venus and of Apollo. Their 
statues adorn my house, but if they were not objects 
of art, by Jupiter! I would sell them, not to the 
Jews, who hold them in abhorrence, but to the Greek 
merchants. 

On the two banks of the Jordan that I visited, all 
the people in every direction spoke to me of the new 
religion which the Prophet of Nazareth preaches to 
the Galileans. But the crowd is less impressed by 
His teachings than by the wonders He works wherever 
He passes. I am anxious to see Him, and above all, 
to hear Him, that I may know what religious doctrine 
He brings into the world. 

Vale, November loth, 780, Magdala 


8 


THE CENTURION 


III 

VENUS OR VESTA 
CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

O N my departure from Rome thou toldest me that 
I should doubtless meet some alluring Asiatic 
or bewitching Jewess who- would know how to beautify 
my exile, and thou claimest to be the necessary depos- 
itory of my confidences. 

Well, my dear friend, if I write to thee now, it is 
less to assure thee of my friendship than to recount to 
thee the beginning of an adventure which may become 
a delicious idyl or a tragedy. Does Venus punish me 
for having, despised her in the last letter which I wrote 
thee? Or does Vesta wish to reward me for having 
sung her praises ? As yet I know nothing of all this, 
but am inclined to believe that it is not a priestess of 
Aphrodite but rather a vestal virgin whom I met two 
days ago. 

I was coming on horseback from a trip into Ti- 
berias, when I perceived in an avenue leading to an en- 
chanting villa, a young woman or girl, accompanied by 
her attendant, climbing the hillock with hurried steps. 
I saw that she was fleeing with fright from a young 
man who ran after her and who was about to- catch 
up with her. I flew to her aid and had only to draw 
my sword for the intruder to take his flight. 

She thanked me with emotion, and I accompanied 
her to the door. She invited me to enter, but scarcely 
raised her eyes as she spoke. I declined the invita- 


VENUS OR VESTA 


9 


tion and left, begging her to allow me to see her again, 
but she answered nothing, and when I returned to her 
house yesterday I was not received. 

My dear friend, thou knowest me well. I am 
neither an enthusiast nor of an excitable disposition. 
.Well, this woman has fascinated me, and (this may 
seem strange to you) without trying to do so; it 
even seemed to me that she hid the brilliancy of her 
eyes in order to appear like an ordinary woman. 
Thou wilt doubtless think that this was the height of 
cleverness, but I believe more in her sincerity and in 
her honesty than in the virtue of our vestals. She is 
the most beautiful Jewess I have met in the Orient. 
She is dark, with a lovely figure — straight and supple ; 
her form is worthy of Venus. Her deep black eyes 
veil a sombre fire. They resemble the eyes of the 
mariners, who by virtue of contemplating the sea and 
the sky, have borrowed gleams from the depths and 
lightning from the storm. I would wager that her 
abundant hair, when she loosens it, falls to her feet. 

Who is she ? What is her history ? Why does she 
live alone with her servants? As yet I do not know, 
but I will learn what it all means, and for the moment, 
I affirm that she is beautiful, distinguished, alluring 
and that she does not seem to know it nor care to have 
it told her. Good-bye. 

December 12th, y 8 o, Magdala. 


lO 


THE CENTURION 


IV 

KING AGAINST PROPHET 
CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

J OHN THE BAPTIST is the name of the Prophet 
of whom I spoke to thee in my first letter and who 
has just been imprisoned by order of the King of Gal- 
ilee. His history merits the telling. 

You know that Galilee and Persea are governed 
under the protectorate of Rome in a more or less re- 
strained measure by King Herod. He is one of the 
sons of Herod the Great, but he has inherited only the 
vices of his father. Married to the daughter of Are- 
tas, King of Arabia, he seduced and carried away He- 
rodias, wife of his brother Philip, who was also his 
own niece, and he married her. The daughter of 
Aretas returned to her father, who swore hatred and 
vengeance on Herod and who watches for a favorable 
occasion to make war upon him. 

Meanwhile, Herodias enjoys her new made royalty, 
and the two lovers give themselves over to every pleas- 
ure. They live in a palace remarkable for its beauty 
and ostentation, in the pretty town of Tiberias, named 
in honor of our Emperor. It is a city of recent date, 
of which Herod has made a cosmopolitan center, as 
well as a Roman town. It is admirably situated on the 
borders of the lake, not far from Magdala, and when 
I rode there, I found the baths, the porticoes, the 
theatres and the places of amusement of Rome, in 
miniature. 


KING AGAINST PROPHET 


II 


The Galileans are greatly scandalized by the con- 
duct of their king, but the terror which he inspires has 
imposed silence upon them, and this incestuous and 
adulterous couple were defying in peace the public 
conscience, when a powerful voice made itself heard 
and denounced the scandal. It was the voice of the 
Prophet John, — surnamed the Baptist because he bap- 
tized his disciples in the waters of the Jordan. Here, 
my dear friend, is an extraordinary type which would 
have made a sensation in the Roman Forum. 

He is a man who is the personification of the desert 
in which he has lived for twenty years. For twenty 
years he has kept silence ; and all at once he has become 
a voice, but a voice such as has never before been 
heard. Not only his mouth speaks, but his physiog- 
nomy, his attitude, his gesture, his life — everything 
speaks in him and everything is eloquent. After hav- 
ing been the personification of dumbness, he has be- 
come the incarnation of speech, and if anyone ask 
him whom he is, he answers, — Ego sum vox! ’’ 
He speaks as perhaps primitive man spoke, or, rather, 
he speaks the language of a mysterious world which 
we do not know and which must have been revealed to 
him in visions, during his solitary life. 

This, then, is the man who has dared to rise up in 
the face of Herod Antipas. In the synagogues, on the 
banks of the Jordan, on the threshold even of Ti- 
berias, wherever his preaching attracted the crowd, 
John flung the most terrible anathemas against the 
king and his scandalous life. 

The soldiers of the palace arrested him and brought 


12 


THE CENTURION 


him before Herod. But there, in the presence of the 
courtiers and of Herodias, trembling with indignation, 
he continued to make accusations. Instead of excus- 
ing himself, he said to the royal couple, Your con- 
duct is criminal!” The indignant queen wanted to 
have John immediately put to death, but the king did 
not wish it, and he had the prisoner led to the dungeon 
of his Castle of Machserus, at the foot of the moun- 
tains of Moab in Peraea. 

I came back yesterday from a ride to the south of 
Tiberias, which is six miles from Magdala, and ar- 
rived at the gates of the city, just in time to meet the 
unfortunate prophet dragged along by the Galilean sol- 
diers. His head and his feet were bare, and he wore a 
coarse garment made of the skin of wild goats, but his 
hair floated in the wind like a luminous aureole and 
his eyes raised to heaven, flashed fire. The soldiers 
whipped and abused him, but he appeared not to heed 
them. His eloquent mouth, which had lifted up the 
aspirations of a nation, was closed, perhaps forever. 

And there, my dear Tullius, thou seest how the mas- 
ters of the world choke the cry of honest consciences 
and courageous voices that dare proclaim the truth and 
uphold the right. Thou seest well that the world has 
need of regeneration, and that it is high time that He 
come, this Messiah whom the Jews expect. 

Vale, December 20th, '/So, Magdala. 


THE DIVINE TIBERIUS 


13 


V 

THE DIVINE TIBERIUS 
TULLIUS TO CAIUS OPPIUS 

I HAVE received thy two letters, dated from Mag- 
dala, and I envy thee thy lot. There was a time, 
when for nothing in the world would I have wished 
to live away from Rome, but to-day its atmosphere 
weighs me down, and I am disgusted with its false 
pleasures. Do not regret it, my dear friend. Re- 
ligion, morals, institutions are in decadence. We no 
longer believe in the gods of Olympus, who were with- 
out doubt fabulous, but we replace them with others 
who are worth much less and who are, alas! re- 
alities ! 

The ancient divinities bored us perhaps less, because 
they were fabulous, but the gods of to-day are living, 
wicked beings. They make use of us; they rob us; 
they govern us with harshness ; they spy upon our ac- 
tions and tyrannize over us. Jupiter to-day is called 
Tiberius. He is at Capri, which he has made into an 
Elysium. There he enjoys an indescribable luxury 
and all the new pleasures which can be devised to sat- 
isfy and excite his weary appetites. Incense burns 
constantly before his cruel and grotesque divinity. 
He is fawned upon, flattered, and artists offer pictures 
of the new idol to the people for their adoration. 

And during all this time we tremble under the des- 
potic government of another god whom you know, 
‘‘ Sejanus.’’ He has arrived at the pinnacle of power. 


14 


THE CENTURION 


His statues fill the Forum and the Senate kisses his 
feet. 

With diabolical skill, he continues to make ready for 
his ascension to the throne. He removes all who may 
prevent the accomplishment of his ends. Tiberius 
alone ignores him, but he will learn that Sejanus is 
the true instigator of the poisoning of his son Drusus, 
who was to have succeeded him. Agrippina, worthy 
widow of the unfortunate Germanicus, is threatened 
with exile along with her sons. This, you see, is what 
passes in the world of our new gods. 

And simple mortals are not worth much. Celibates, 
such as I, no longer wish to marry. Those who are 
married, make a game of divorce. The women are 
more and more like her whom Cicero called “ the 
woman of many husbands.” Mulier multarum 
nuptiarum/') 

The theatre and the games have but one object, 
which is the corruption of morals, and the circuses are 
all places of prostitution, where one does not meet 
only the women of the people. Virtue is dying, 
hope is dead ; and to those who suffer, there is 
but one refuge, — suicide. Ah ! thou art happy 
to be far from this home of pestilence. Thou 
canst acquire new strength in the admiration 
and study of nature in all its beauty. Thou hast 
strange and novel sights to see. Thou art elbow to 
elbow with a nation older than Rome, which has re- 
mained young, whether through faith or hope. Thou 
dost learn Hebrew, and thou readest the books of Mo- 


WHO IS SHE? 


IS 

ses. How curious this must seem for a man versed 
as thou art in Greek and Latin letters. 

Write to me often and keep me in touch with all 
that interests thee in the strange country which thou 
inhabitest. Farewell. 

Rome, January 2 d, y8i. 


VI 

WHO IS SHE? 

CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

I HAVE once more seen my beautiful unknown. 

One of her servants opened the door and told me 
that her mistress had gone out. I was turning away, 
disconcerted, when I perceived her at the further end 
of a lane in her garden. Her back was turned to 
me as she walked slowly away, covered with an ample 
drapery of white silk striped with black threads. 
She sat down on a stone bench and began to read 
from a roll of papyrus which contained, as she after- 
wards told me, the prophecies of Daniel. As soon as 
she heard the sound of my footsteps, she arose and 
advanced to meet me. Her glance showed very 
plainly that I annoyed her. But I did not have to 
recall myself to her, nor remind her of the serviqp 
I had been able to render. A little troubled by the 
look I fixed upon her, she recalled our chance en- 
counter and began to talk, but hardly opened her big 
eyes. 


i6 


THE CENTURION 


The beautiful acacias which allow the rays of the 
sun to filter through their chiseled leaves, barely 
shaded our walk, and I proposed that we should sit 
under a vaulted arbor of little red and green leaves, 
but she answered that it would soon be time to go in, 
and she did not invite me to follow her. 

Thou art doubtless curious to know what we could 
say to each other. Alas! nothing that could make 
me hope for the least success. She thanked me again 
for having delivered her from an intruder, and I 
answered her with entire sincerity that on my part, I 
thanked the gods who had given me this opportunity 
to know her. A moment of silence followed. Then 
after a long sigh, she said : “ I do not believe in your 
gods, sir,’’ and very cleverly she led me into a re- 
ligious controversy. She believes in one God, 
Jehovah, and in one religion, which is that of Moses. 

I feebly defended the gods of Rome, and to bring 
her to talk of love, I said to her : “ Whether there be 
one God alone, or whether there be several, I do not 
know. It is to the achievements of divinity, no mat- 
ter what be its name, that I address my homage, and 
when I find myself with a woman like yourself, I ask 
only to adore her.” 

Do not profane that word,” she said in a severe 
tone. “ Adoration is only due to God.” 

And on that she turned toward the door and bowed 
to me with a gesture which plainly said : “ Depart.” 

What then, can this strange woman be ? 

Salve. 

January 4th ^ ^81, Magdala. 


MYRIAM 


17 


VII 

MYRIAM 

CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

M y beautiful Jewess is a mystery, and I have 
learned some of the most inexplicable things 
about her. She is called “ Myriam,” and comes 
from Bethany, where her family owns a palace. She 
had been married to a Jewish doctor, who was one 
of the heads of the synagogue of Magdala, and lived 
with him two years. But then the unfortunate girl 
was led astray by an officer of our garrison, whom 
you must have known at Rome. He is called Pan- 
dera, and I remember having met him at Caesarea. 
Then the husband abandoned his wife; he denounced 
Pandera to the military authorities, who immediately 
changed him from his garrison, and poor Myriam 
consoled herself with other men. Her conduct was 
notorious, and she became the scandal of Magdala. 
Her husband died, and with the money of her marriage 
portion, — which was a considerable sum, — she lived 
here in luxury. 

Then, not two months since, she dismissed all the 
courtiers who had flocked about her and radically 
changed her conduct. The last of her admirers was 
a rich young Greek merchant. It was he who was an- 
noying her with his attentions and from whom I saved 
her, as I told you in my second letter. How to ex- 
plain this change of conduct? It is here that the 
mystery begins. 


i8 


THE CENTURION 


The beautiful Myriam met the great Prophet, and 
the first look He cast upon her upset her completely. 
It was, they told me, a look accusing and penetrating, 
which fathomed the depths of her heart and which 
sounded there all its shame. She lowered her eyes 
before this look, which she could not endure, and she 
felt the blushes suffuse her forehead, so unused to 
blushing. When she once more raised her eyes, the 
piercing glance of the Prophet was still fixed upon 
her, and the crowd which had been watching, looked 
at her with scorn. She turned away, covered with 
confusion, and since then, she sees, even in her 
dreams, this terrifying look of the man of God. She 
is ashamed of her past conduct; she suffers a sorrow 
she has never before known. She weeps continually, 
in the hope that her future conduct will merit the 
Prophet’s forgiveness. 

This is all I have gathered on the subject of my 
beautiful Jewess. Naturally, it is all a mystery to 
me, and I ask myself what amount of truth and sin- 
cerity there is in all of this curious story. I was not 
simple enough to believe in it altogether, and I admire 
Myriam too much to renounce her easily. I wanted to 
see her again, and it has not been without difficulty, 
as her door is closed to all comers. Thanks to the 
complicity of her maid and under the pretext of im- 
portant business, I was fortunate enough to secure 
another interview with her. 

At first I pretended to be entirely ignorant of her 
history and expressed my admiration in terms as deli- 
cate and veiled as possible. I tried to paint for her 


MYRIAM 


19 


the sincerity of my feelings, and implored the grace of 
a smile and a kind word from her who had conquered 
me by her look of virginal candor. 

Her eyes were cast down as I spoke. When she 
raised them, I saw that they were full of deep sadness. 
A bitter smile rose to her lips and she said simply, 
“ You do not understand to whom you speak. If you 
did you would not feel as you do, and you would 
speak in other words. If my looks have deceived 
you, I am really sorry, and I advise you to carry 
that love of which I am not worthy elsewhere, if it 
be pure, and if it be not it is unworthy of you. Any 
acquaintanceship between us is impossible and I beg 
you as a favor never to try to see me again.” 

She rose as if to give me my dismissal but I begged 
her to hear me further and I said, — 

Myriam, I know who you are and all your story, 
but let me admire you in spite of this and give me at 
least a little friendship.” 

Ah, you know my history,” she answered blush- 
ing; ‘‘and instead of frightening you away, this 
draws you to me? Well, Centurion, you lose what lit- 
tle esteem I might have had for you, and you are 
making another mistake. The woman to whom you 
offer your’ love is dead, and rest assured that she 
will never live again. If care for your own dignity 
does not show you in my past an obstacle between us, 
it remains for me to tell you that an inexplicable love, 
one that you could not understand, separates me for- 
ever from all other loves. He is an extraordinary 
Being, one whom I hardly know, to whom I have given 


20 


THE CENTURION 


my entire soul. Is He a man? Is He a God? I 
do not know. He has never addressed one word to 
me. I have never even touched the hem of His gar- 
ment. In spite of that, my heart is all filled with the 
love which He inspires in me, and all my life belongs 
to Him. One look of His has worked this miracle 
in me, and I swear to you that Myriam will never again 
love any other mortal.” 

Upon that she rose with majesty and austerity; she 
turned away from me and retired into her house, while 
the servant came to open the outside door for me. 
My dear Tullius, thou art going to make fun of me, 
and perhaps thqu wilt do so with reason, but I vow 
that my adventure is not an ordinary one and that it 
is worth the telling. If there is to be any more of it, 
I will let thee know. 

January 12th, ySi, Magdala. 


VIII 


THE PROPHET^S DISCIPLES 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

LL that they tell me on the subject of the 



ITjL Prophet becomes more and more extraor- 
dinary. The people believe that He will re-establish 
the kingdom of Israel and consequently put an end 
to the domination of Rome over this country. If he 
wished it, he could create a formidable rebellion. 
Yesterday, I took my way into Capharnaum to in- 
form myself on the subject of this candidate to roy- 


THE PROPHET’S DISCIPLES 


21 


ally whom the crowd has already wished to proclaim 
king in the mountains of Peraea. 

To begin with, I was shown those men called his 
disciples. Five or six of them were mending their 
nets on the banks of the lake, sitting on the up- 
turned fishing boats drawn up on the sand. I ap- 
proached them and induced them to speak. They are 
simple fishermen, poorly dressed and, for the most 
part without education. Several of them had been 
disciples of John the Baptist and were baptized by 
him in the Jordan. I interrogated them, and I assure 
thee that it is not difficult to make them speak of what 
they know, as they answered all my questions with an 
astonishing simplicity and frankness. They are evi- 
dently people who have nothing to hide. But the 
mystery which surrounds their Master is no more re- 
vealed to their eyes than to those of the multitude. 

I wished at first to find out how they had become 
the disciples of the Prophet and why they had 
abandoned John. 

‘Mt is because John was only a precursor,” an- 
swered one of them. He was a great prophet, and 
at first it was our joy to go and hear him when he 
preached at Bethabara. He taught things beautiful 
and uplifting, but he warned us at the same time that 
one was to come after him who was far greater than 
he. And when we asked him if he himself were 
the expected Messiah, he answered, ‘ No.’ Then 
again one day when we were with him at Bethabara, 
this man here and I — ” Here I interrupted him to 
learn their names. 


22 


THE CENTURION 


This is Andrew/' he said, and I am John." 

One day, then, when we were with our master, 
John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth passed by us, and 
John stretching out his hand to Him, his face trans- 
figured by emotion and ecstasy, said to us : ‘ Behold 

the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the 
world/ And he prostrated himself before Him. 
We did likewise and when we rose up again, our own 
master, without speaking, so great and so deep was 
his emotion, showed us again Jesus of Nazareth, who 
was passing along by the borders of the Jordan. His 
gesture signified that it was He Whom we should fol- 
low hereafter, and so we separated ourselves from 
John the Baptist, not without grief. A feeling hith- 
erto unknown, overcame us, and we felt a presentiment 
that a new epoch had opened in our lives, an intimate 
and mysterious call had come to us which we must 
obey. So we followed Jesus of Nazareth from afar 
off, not daring to join Him nor to speak to Him, but 
He turned and said to us : ‘ Whom do you seek ? ' 

‘ We seek the Messiah, and we were drawn to John be- 
cause we thought it was he. But he has just made 
us understand that it is You who are the Messiah. 
Tell us. Master, where do you live?’ ‘Come and 
see,’ he said to us, and we followed him.’’ 

Had he a dwelling? ’’ I asked them. 

“ He lived in Capharnaum, but that night we slept 
on the banks of the Jordan under a leafy tent made 
of the branches of palm trees planted in the ground 
and tied together at the top in such a way as to form a 


THE PROPHET’S DISCIPLES 


23 


vaulted arch, for there is no inn on the east side of the 
Jordan. The next morning we followed Him again’ to 
this place, and we have never left Him.” 

‘‘ And the other disciples ? ” I asked. 

“ He met them here, as if by chance on the shore 
of the lake, and He said to each one, ' Follow me,’ 
and they followed Him.” 

‘‘ Where does He live to-day? ” 

“ Here, near by, in that house made of bricks baked 
by the sun. There is a ground floor overhung by a 
terrace and one large room inhabited by the Master. 
He reaches it by that stone staircase which we can see 
from here, joined to the exterior wall of the house.” 

‘‘ He does not live alone ? ” 

‘‘ No; His mother who is a widow. His aunt, also a 
widow, and His brothers live with Him.” 

‘‘ What brothers? ” 

“ The children of his aunt and of his deceased 
uncle.” 

Who was this uncle ? ” 

‘‘ He was an artisan, named Cleophas.” 

“ And His father — who is he ? ” 

‘‘ He was a carpenter. He died at Nazareth where 
the family lived for thirty years.” 

Why did they abandon Nazareth? ” 

‘‘ Because the Nazar eans became angry with the 
Prophet and wanted to kill Him when He announced 
to them that He was the Messiah.” 

“ And you — do you believe that He is the Mes- 
siah? ” 


24 


THE CENTURION 


“ We believe it/’ 

“ Does it not seem extraordinary to you that the 
son of a carpenter should be the Messiah? ” 

“ Yes, but He tells us that His real father is God.” 

“ How can that be? ” 

We do not know.” 

“ And you believe what you do not understand? ” 

“ Yes, you must understand in order to know, but 
not in order to believe. There are in the universe, 
millions of things in which you believe but which you 
could not explain to us. The real object of faith is 
shrouded in mystery. The Jewish nation has be- 
lieved in Jehovah for many centuries without under- 
standing Him ; why then should we not believe in His 
Son without understanding Him? If you knew our 
Master, Centurion, you, too, would believe. His 
speech is not like that of any other man, and his works 
manifest a superhuman power.” 

At this moment, I saw a woman coming out of the 
Prophet’s house. She was beautiful and appeared to 
be about forty-five years old. She was going to draw 
water at the public fountain, for an amphora upheld 
by her right hand was resting on her shoulder. 

“ Who is that woman? ” I asked him who is called 
John. But he had gone to offer his services to the 
Galilean, and it was Andrew who answered me. It 
is the Prophet’s mother.” 

My dear Tullius, I can not explain why it was, but I 
was deeply moved by the sight of this humble widow 
of an artisan. I said to myself : “ I wish only to 

see her ; she is not like any other woman.” 


THE PROPHET’S DISCIPLES 


25 

When John returned to us, I reopened the conver- 
sation while the disciples still mended their nets. 

‘‘ And your Master, what does He do in this little 
village that seems to be the center of His operations? ” 

“ Oh ! His operations,” answered John smilingly, 
have none of the character of yours. There is noth- 
ing military about them.” 

Of what character are they then? ” 

He calls himself a shepherd, and He announces 
that it is to the lost sheep of Israel that He has been 
sent. This is really the mission which He has filled 
ever since we have followed Him, and in His flock, that 
grows larger every day, there are two faithful sheep 
who were once entirely lost. Both of them were 
known throughout the breadth of Palestine. One was 
called Photina, the Samaritan woman, and the other, 
Myriam of Magdala.” 

“ I have known of Myriam of Magdala,” I an- 
swered, ‘‘ and I am very curious to hear the history 
of Photina, the Samaritan. You must tell me about 
it some day. But now it is your Master above all in 
whom I am interested. Does He really wish to re- 
establish the kingdom of Israel and have Himself de- 
clared its king? ” 

John hesitated for a moment, then he said with a 
candor and frankness that I admired: We are His 

disciples, we would like it well but are sorry to say 
that nothing seems further from His projects. For 
He disappeared the other day when a crowd wished 
to proclaim 'Him king, and He often says to us that 
His kingdom is not of this world.” 


26 


THE CENTURION 


“ I have heard about this speech of His, but what 
does it signify? If He be not king of this world, of 
what world is He king? ” 

Of the world of souls.” 

And how will He call all these souls to Himself? ” 

‘‘ By His word.” 

‘‘ Is that all?” 

By His miracles.” 

‘‘And if His speech and His miracles do not suf- 
fice?” 

“ By His blood.” 

“ What do you say ? Does He wish to die ? ” 

“ He says so.” 

“ But death is the end of all.” 

“ He says it is the beginning.” 

“ But when He is dead, everyone will forget about 
Him?” 

“ He tells us that on the contrary. He will draw all 
things to Himself! ” 

“ It is very strange.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ It is unbelievable.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ It is contrary to the experience of centuries.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Therefore you do not believe.” 

“We do believe, but without understanding.” 

“ And when He shall be dead, what will become of 
you ? And what will you do ? ” 

“ We do not know, but we believe that He will tell 
us before dying what we should do, and we will do it.” 


THE PROPHETS DISCIPLES 27 

‘Ht is beautiful devotion; what do you expect in 
return? ’’ 

A place in His kingdom/’ 

‘‘ In the kingdom which is not of this 'world? ” 

‘‘ Yes.” 

All this seems extraordinary,” I said to him, “ and 
I am astonished that you do not seek to assure your- 
selves of something more positive, more tangible.” 

. My mother speaks as you do and wished to learn 
of the Prophet Himself what He has in store for her 
sons, James and me.” 

Well, what did he answer? ” 

That she did not know what she asked of Him 
and that we should have to drink of the same chalice 
as He ; that is to say, to suffer and to die like Him.” 

“ And in spite of that you persist in following 
Him?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ But he does not expect to meet such disinterested- 
ness throughout the whole world ? ” 

No; the other day, a Scribe, very clever and am- 
bitious, who had thought to assure himself of a great 
future by associating with our Master, came to him 
and said, ^ I will follow you wherever you go.’ Je- 
sus looked him in the face and answered, ‘ The foxes 
have their holes and the birds have their nests, but the 
Son of man has no place to rest His head.’ The 
Scribe understood and turned away. Another came 
to him, and said : ‘ I wish to follow you, but give me 

time to settle the affairs of my house.’ Jesus an- 
swered : ‘ Whoever places his hand to the plough and 


28 


THE CENTURION 


looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.’ And 
the Scribe went away.” 

“ Then your Master exacts that his disciples aban- 
don everything and immediately, in order to follow 
Him?” 

Yes.” 

“ But how do you live ? ” 

“ We live by our fishing, on the property which 
some of us have, and which has been put into the com- 
munity, and on gifts which are made to the Master.” 

Have you a treasurer or trustee or administrator 
of the common purse ? ” 

‘‘ Yes, here he comes now, he has just bought pro- 
visions for to-morrow.” And he made known the 
new comer, under the name of “ Judas of Kerioth.” 
He is of a very pronounced Jewish type, seemingly 
intelligent, but with treacherous eyes. I should be 
much astonished if this one had not self-interested 
views in following the Prophet. 

At this moment four of the disciples came to put 
a boat out to sea, and John left me, going to join them. 
I watched them rowing for a long time and came back 
slowly to Magdala, loitering along the shore. I can- 
not understand what role the Prophet has assigned to 
these poor fishermen, but it is perfectly evident that 
they are not conspirators and that they do not dream 
of means by which to shake off the yoke of Rome. 

March loth, fSi, Magdala. 


JESUS OF NAZARETH 


29 


IX 

JESUS OF NAZARETH 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

A t last, my dear Tullius, I have seen the Prophet, 
I have heard Him preach and have had the 
chance of admiring His eloquence and His beauty. I 
will try to give an idea of His manner of speech and 
to draw His portrait for thee. 

Several days ago, at the head of my legionaries, I 
was making my way in the direction of Cana, behind 
Capharnaum, when on the mountain-side I found a 
great crowd of men and women gathered together, 
seated on the grass in a most religious silence. On a 
slight elevation I saw the Prophet, dressed all in white, 
standing majestic and solemn, as Moses must have 
stood on the heights of Sinai. I saw that He often 
raised His arms to Heaven and gathered that He was 
speaking to this meditative crowd. I approached 
closer to listen to Him and mingled with the auditors 
without attracting their attention, so much were they 
absorbed by the words of the Prophet. 

Well, dost thou know what He said to them? I 
took note of several things which struck me most 
forcibly. Listen, — 

‘‘ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of Heaven. 

‘‘ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall pos- 
sess the earth. 


3 


30 


THE CENTURION 


‘‘ Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be com- 
forted. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after 
justice, for they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy. 

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see 
God. 

Blessed are they who suffer persecution for jus- 
tice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.’' 

What strange words are these? And, above all, 
what new ideas! This quite reverses all the teach- 
ing of human wisdom. It is a contradiction of all our 
opinions and of all our feeling. The happy, accord- 
ing to us, are the rich, not the poor ; those who amuse 
themselves, not those who weep; those to whom one 
renders justice and not those who are persecuted for 
it. Those who possess the earth, according to our 
ideas, are not the gentle, but the violent who carry it 
away. Blessed are those who can do justice to them- 
selves, who taste the sweetness of revenge, and not 
those who do mercy ! Blessed, not the pure, but those 
who can give themselves over to all the pleasures of 
love and voluptuousness! There you • have real 
human wisdom such as has been taught and prac- 
tised by all the great philosophers of Greece and 
Rome. 

From whence, then, has the Prophet of Nazareth 
drawn this contrary wisdom? And how is it that I, 
a Roman, have tasted in His words an inexplicable 
sweetness? Our decadent generation is not accus- 


JESUS OF NAZARETH 31 

tomed to this language; it is so different from that of 
our orators and our poets. 

And what is this kingdom of the Heavens in which 
all happiness belongs to those whom we look upon as 
being the really unhappy ones? Where is this ideal 
place where at last the great law of compensation will 
hold sway, where those who weep will be comforted; 
those who search in vain for justice shall be satisfied ; 
those who dream of a pure love shall be overwhelmed 
with joy? 

He Himself knows it, no doubt. But it seems evi- 
dent to me that this kingdom is neither that of Israel 
nor of any other nation in this world. 

He preaches a new religion and a social and pacific 
revolution which at the same time shall be radical and 
universal. It is not only the Jewish people whom He 
wishes to regenerate ; it is the whole of humanity. His 
work will not be national, but humanitarian. He 
leaves crowns and sceptres to those who have ambition 
for them, but for Himself He dreams of another 
ideal: He wishes to spread light in the intelligence, 
faith in the soul and love in the heart. 

This, if I be not mistaken, is the sublime dream of 
this extraordinary Man, whose doctrine eclipses that 
of Plato and whose eloquence relegates Cicero to the 
shade. 

Is this to be realized? In my humble opinion, if 
Jesus be but a man, it is absolutely impossible! And 
how can He be anything else ? ^ 

All that I have said here is very weak compared 
with the discourse that I heard. 


32 


THE CENTURION 


And then, too, one must see Him. He is a tall 
man, of great virile beauty, of that beauty which is 
made of great nobility, distinction, of intelligence and 
strength. His disciples say that His very regular 
features closely resemble those of his mother. He is 
dark, as she is, with the coloring and shading of ripe 
wheat. His forehead is framed in an abundance of 
chestnut hair, its color is like the red wine of the 
South impregnated by the sun, parted in the middle 
it falls in great waves to His shoulders. His short 
pointed beard is of the same shade and forms with 
His hair, an oval frame which blends with the beauty 
of His countenance. But His most remarkable and 
most characteristic features are His eyes. Of a very 
dark blue, they have the depth, the brilliancy and the 
smouldering fire of a phosphorescent wave. It is dif- 
ficult to endure their penetrating gaze. It is like an 
arrow of light piercing the heart and leaving it open 
and naked to view. In His hours of holy anger, these 
eyes are terrible. This in part explains why the great 
number of vendors in the temple, who were not in the 
least timid, fled before Him without offering the slight- 
est resistance. It was not the whip that frightened 
them ; they could have turned on Him with blows. It 
was His terrible gaze which threw their ranks into a 
veritable panic. 

But when He is in the presence of the repentant 
sinner, the unhappy, or the suffering. His eyes, by a 
marvelous contrast, are of a gentleness and sweetness 
so great that they enslave one’s heart. Rays of grace 


JESUS OF NAZARETH 33 

and mercy spring forth and spread about Him a charm 
which draws all unto Him. 

The tone of His voice is sympathetic, His gestures 
are natural and dignified, and Hia attitude always 
noble. He is simply dressed. He wears a long tunic 
of white wool and over that a brown coat with wide 
sleeves from which He sometimes slips His arms to 
cross them on His breast. His head is covered with a 
“ Soudar or Arabian koufieh,’" which is simply a 
silken handkerchief caught by a woolen cord at the 
top of His head and arranged in such a way that the 
folds, falling on His neck, protect Him against the heat 
of the sun. Leather sandals, fastened to His feet by 
linen strands, guard them from thorns and stones in 
the road. Thou seest, my dear Tullius, that I over- 
look nothing in order that thou mayest know the 
Prophet of Galilee. 

Everything about Him is remarkable. And if He 
does not leave a name that shall be glorious in history, 
it is that humanity is unworthy of Him. 

Here in Galilee it is believed that at last the proph- 
ecy of Isaias is being accomplished : The people 

who were seated in darkness have seen a great light. 
The day has risen on those who live in the shadow of 
death.” Indeed, it is all true, and the word of Jesus 
of Nazareth is the great light, humanity’s glorious day ! 

Vale, May ist, y8i, Magdala. 


34 


THE CENTURION 


X 

MYRIAM AGAIN 
CAIUS OPPIUS TO TULLIUS 

M y love idyl has come to its end, and the climax, 
which leaves a wound in my heart, will seem 
to thee perhaps less enigmatical after the story which 
remains for me to tell thee about Myriam. 

There lives here, in the first rank of Jewish society, 
a rich Pharisee named Simon. Well, several days 
ago Jesus of Nazareth came to Magdala. Simon, who 
had met and heard Him in the synagogue, gave Him 
a banquet, and, as commander of the garrison, I was 
invited. I was there when the Prophet entered and 
was received by Simon with the cold politeness and 
pride that distinguishes the Pharisees. According to 
the customs of the country, when an important per- 
son receives an illustrious guest under his roof, the 
servants gather about him to wash his feet and pour 
perfume on his beard and on his hair. 

Simon did not observe this ceremony with Jesus. 
Whilst he showed himself His friend, he maintained 
the haughtiness of the Pharisee and did not recognize 
the superiority of his guest. The Prophet appeared 
not to perceive it. He was gentle, condescending, 
amiable, kindly towards all, and He took the place at 
table to which Simon assigned Him, Several of the 
disciples were with Him. The dinner scarcely had 
begun, when I saw a woman enter the room. ,She was 
dressed in black and heavily veiled. Her height, her 


MYRIAM AGAIN 


35 


Walk, her attitude immediately reminded me of Myr- 
iam, and when she prostrated herself at the feet of 
Jesus and raised her veil to open a vase of precious 
ointment to pour on the feet of the Prophet, I recog- 
nized her ; it was indeed she. 

Thou knowest that the Orientals eat, as do the 
Romans, reclining on the left side around the table, 
their feet outside of it. Myriam had knelt upon the 
floor, bending over the feet of the Prophet, and she 
bathed them with her tears. Then she anointed them 
with a perfume of great price whose odor spread like 
balsam throughout the room, and uncoiling her beau- 
tiful hair, she wiped them with it. The Prophet ap- 
peared not to notice her, but we were all in a state of 
stupefaction, and our host, above all, was scandalized. 

If Jesus of Nazareth were really a Prophet, we 
thought. He would know this woman to be a sinner 
whose life was a scandal, and He would repel her with 
scorn. Simon without doubt would have intervened 
and put an end to this incident, which shocked the 
Pharisaical proprieties, but Jesus prevented it. 

Simon, I have something to tell thee. A creditor 
had two debtors. One owed him five hundred talents 
and the other fifty. As they had not wherewith to 
pay their debts, he forgave them both. Which loved 
him the most ? ” 

“ The one to whom he forgave the most, I suppose,’’ 
answered Simon. 

‘‘ Thou hast judged well,” answered Jesus, and turn- 
ing to Myriam who continued weepingly to offer Him 
her service, without appearing to have heard what He 


3 ^ 


THE CENTURION 


said, He continued, Seest thou this woman ? I en- 
tered thy house, thou gavest me no water to wash my 
feet, but she has washed them with her tears and has 
wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest me no kiss 
of peace ; since she came in she has not ceased to kiss 
my feet. Thou didst not pour perfume on my head 
but she has poured it on my feet. This is why I say 
to thee, ‘ Many sins are forgiven her, because she has 
loved much, but to him who loves less, less shall be 
forgiven.’ ” 

Then addressing himself to Myriam He said to her : 
“ Woman, your sins are forgiven.” 

She arose, coiled her hair anew and threw upon 
Jesus a look full of confusion and of suffering. He 
added in a tone of infinite sweetness, ‘‘ Your faith 
has saved you, go in peace.” Myriam glided furtively 
through the crowd and disappeared. Simon had low- 
ered his head in deep thought. From being the ac- 
cuser, he had become the accused, and, while revolting 
against the lesson he had just received, he was forced 
to acknowledge to himself that it was all deserved. 

Myriam was doubtless a sinner. But was he also 
not a sinner? Was there not a great deal to be for- 
given him? . . . Yes, certainly there was, as 

Jesus had just taught him, because he had not loved 
much. 

The other guests, of whom several were Pharisees, 
remained astonished and scandalized. “ God only,” 
they murmured among themselves, ‘‘ can forgive sins. 
How can this man do so? ” 

The meal ended almost in silence. Only the soft 


CLOACA MAXIMA 


37 


and persuasive voice of Jesus could be heard. He de- 
clared that He had come for sinners and not for the 
just. He sounded the panegyric of His mercy, and 
added, Do not condemn and you will not be con- 
demned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. You 
will be judged as you have judged others.’" 

On leaving the hall He cast upon me a penetrating 
glance which made the blood mount to my forehead, 
and I said to myself as I watched Him, ‘‘ If there be 
a man on earth who can forgive sins and give peace to 
the heart, it is He.” 

But now, my dear Tullius, we have an unexpected 
development. Myriam has sold her superb villa, her 
rich furniture, everything she has; she has charged 
Simon and several citizens of Magdala to distribute 
the price of them among the poor, and she has gone to 
live with her brother Lazarus at Bethany, near Jeru- 
salem. All that remains for me is to forget this 
strange and fascinating woman. As thou seest, I live 
in a country and at a time full of marvels. 

/une 1st, ySi, Magdala. 


XI 

CLOACA MAXIMA 
TULLIUS TO CAIUS 

T hy letters excite me, and thy unhappy love is 
the most delicious of romances. And dost thou 
really suffer? I suppose so, but in any case, I should 
like to suffer in the same way. I can understand how 


38 


THE CENTURION 


sad a thing it must be to have met an ideal — and not 
be able to attain it; but at least this ideal has been 
seen and loved and one can love it still more ideally! 
This is thy case. But mine is infinitely sadder, for 
the real pain is never to have known an ideal and no 
longer even to believe in one. 

Ah, my dear friend, what a difference between Rome 
and the country where thou art stationed. Here it is 
that we need prophets and Myriams; but one would 
seek in vain for them in the Via Sacra, or the Forum, 
or on the banks of the Tiber. Those who pass 
through the triumphal way and who go up to the Cap- 
itol are not prophets. It is not God of whom they 
speak from the Tribune in their great orations. And 
the women who lounge around the baths would have 
no desire to imitate Myriam in her new manner of 
life. 

Yes, thou livest in a country full of wonders; but 
we too have ours, though they are of a very different 
nature. Tiberius has relegated his mother, Olivia, to 
a species of exile where she is entirely abandoned and 
in this way her son, for whose success she has com- 
mitted so many crimes, has become her executioner. 

I have told thee about the dreams and ambitions of 
Sejanus. Well, my dear Caius, this powerful min- 
ister, this tyrannical dictator, has found a strength 
greater than his own in that of the divine Tiberius, 
and they say Sejanus' days are numbered. 

From his enchanted isle of Capri, the perfidious 
Emperor would have but to send secret instructions 
to the Senate to rid himself of him. The Senate will 


THREE PASTORALS 


39 


answer “ Amen/’ The people who yesterday ap- 
plauded the all-powerful minister, to-morrow will ded- 
icate him to the ‘‘ Genionise ” and will throw him into 
the Tiber! 

Thou chantest for me an idyl, and I recount tragedy 
to thee. Magdala is not a civilized city like Rome. 

Happy those who can tear themselves away from 
our City, so fair and formerly glorious, which to-day 
resembles nothing so much as the Cloaca Maxima.” 

June 4th, ’^81, Rome, 


XII 

THREE PASTORALS 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

I N the history of the Jewish people, which I study 
with lively interest, the patriarchal epoch holds a 
particular charm for me. In this country, at once 
picturesque and fertile, this pastoral life, which was 
also that of the patriarchs, must have been both poetic 
and attractive. 

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob were but little shepherd 
kings who lived on the products of the earth, who 
cared for great flocks and formed colonies and raised 
numerous families. Jehovah, their God, visited them 
and spoke to them and, full of faith in His promises, 
they were convinced that they should become the 
fathers of a great people. The homage which they 
rendered this God was of a character primitive 
enough. It consisted in the erection of altars to His 


40 


THE CENTURION 


honor. These altars were made of rocks found along 
their roads, and sacrifices were then offered Him. 

It was He who showed them the country which they 
should inhabit, and when they had reached it, they 
raised their tents, erected an altar and dug a deep well 
which would serve to give drink to them as well as to 
their flocks. The domestic hearth, which was to be- 
come a national hearth, was never really founded save 
by the erecting of an altar and the digging of a well. 
The one was an act of consecration of the soil, and the 
other was an act of taking possession. 

These wells were indispensable during the summer, 
because the country, sufficiently irrigated in the spring- 
time, became arid during the following season. They 
were also given appropriate names in order to testify 
to their importance. In this way Isaac dug several of 
them for his immense flocks. The one which marked 
his own estate and his residence is called, The 
Well of the Living and of the Prophet.” In other 
places in different localities, he dug others. To one 
he gave the name of ‘‘ Calumny,” because the shep- 
herds of Gerasa claimed it as their own. A sec- 
ond one, the ownership of which was also contested, 
he called “ Enmity.” 

At last he went a little distance off and dug a third 
one which he named “ Extensiveness,” because no one 
any longer disputed his right to the vast extent of land 
of which he had taken possession. A fourth well re- 
ceived the name of Abundance.” 

The importance of these wells in Oriental countries 
explains why they so often mark, in patriarchal his- 


THREE PASTORALS 


41 


tory, meeting places, whether for the conclusion of 
treaties of alliance or for the exchanging of the simple 
vows of love. Nothing is more poetic in touching 
simplicity than the pastorals which recount the Mar- 
riages of Isaac and Jacob, inevitably enacted near a 
well. And note, my dear Tullius, that this is not fic- 
tion, but history and that this history is more than two 
thousand years old, twelve centuries before the foun- 
dation of Rome ! 

Listen for a while to this narration that I will give 
as briefly as possible. Abraham grew old and wished 
to make a marriage for his son Isaac; but he did not 
want him to take his wife from among the daughters 
of the Canaanites. He therefore sent his steward into 
Mesopotamia, his native country, to seek a wife for 
his son. It was evening when he arrived in the native 
land of the father of believers ; and the steward 
stopped near a well, at the hour when the women came 
out to draw water, and he prayed, “ Lord God of 
Abraham, grant that the young woman whom I shall 
ask to give me to drink and who will lower her pitcher 
to me will be the one whom you destine for your serv- 
ant Isaac.’’ 

And behold ! A very fair and beautiful young girl 
advanced towards the well and filled her vessel. The 
messenger of Abraham asked her to give him drink, 
and carefully lifting her pitcher down to him, she an- 
swered, Drink.” And while she also gave drink to 
his camels, he watched her in silence. When the 
camels had drunk, he asked what was her father’s name 
and learned that she was Rebecca, daughter of Bathuel 


42 


THE CENTURION 


and grand niece of Abraham. Then the steward pre- 
sented her with a ring and golden bracelets. He re- 
ceived kindly hospitality at the house of Bathuel and 
that of Laban, Rebecca's brother ; the marriage was ar- 
ranged and the next day the beautiful Rebecca with 
her attendants, mounted upon camels, took their way 
with the steward into the land of Canaan. 

One evening, after several days of travel, she per- ’ 
ceived a man watching the approach of the camels to 
the well of The Living and of the Prophet," and the 
steward said to her, “ It is my master." Then she 
jumped down from her camel and covered her face 
with her veil. Isaac led the veiled virgin to the tent 
of his mother, and the sacred writer added as he fin- 
ished: He took her to wife, and he loved her." 

Thirty years later, it was the son of Rebecca, Jacob, 
who went in his turn into Mesopotamia to choose his 
wife, in order that the divine blessings which had fallen 
upon his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac 
might be realized and that he should become the father 
of a multitude of peoples. 

When the sun had set and night spread over the 
earth, he stopped, took a stone on which to rest his 
head and lay down upon the ground under the serene, 
immovable stars. A wonderful dream came to him 
during his sleep; he saw a bright ladder whose foot 
touched the earth and whose head was lost in the 
skies, and on its rounds were numberless angels ascend- 
ing and descending. And Jehovah, who was at the 
top, spoke to him and renewed the promises which he 
had made to his father. 


THREE PASTORALS 


43 


On awakening, he called this spot, Bethel,’^ which 
signifies “place inhabited by God;’’ he transformed 
the stone that had served him for a pillow into an 
altar, poured oil upon it and prayed God to give him 
the bread of which he had need. Then he continued 
his journey, and when he had reached the country 
of his ancestors, noticed a well, around which flocks 
of sheep were lying. Speaking to the shepherds of 
these flocks, he asked if they knew Laban, son of 
Nachor and grandson of Abraham. 

“ We know him,” they answered, “ and here is 
Rachael, his daughter, coming with her sheep.” 

Jacob ran to meet her and told her that he was the 
son of Rebecca, sister of Laban, that she was his 
cousin, and weeping with emotion, he embraced her. 
We can easily understand the cause of this emotion. 
It was that this meeting reminded him of the idyl 
of his mother, Rebecca, near the same well nearly 
thirty years before, and now it was Rachael, the daugh- 
ter of Laban, whom Jehovah sent to meet Rebecca’s 
son, inspiring him with the belief that it was she whom 
He destined for his spouse. 

Thinkest thou not, my dear Tullius, that these pas- 
torals are superior to those of our Virgil? But it is 
not only because they are pretty that I care to tell thee 
these stories. It is because I am now living in the 
second home of Abraham, this beautiful country of 
Samaria, where he came to pitch his tent under the 
shadow of the great oaks of Moreh, and because I 
have visited the celebrated wells that Jacob had dug 
there. But only a few months ago, this well was the 


44 


THE CENTURION 


scene of another pastoral about which I also wish to 
tell thee. It is still more beautiful and more ideal 
than these preceding ones, by reason of the superiority 
of its principal personage, who is none other than 
Jesus of Nazareth. I myself was not a witness of it, 
but I had the story from a disciple of Jesus of whom 
I have already spoken, who is called John. I write 
thee from Shechem itself, capital of this country. All 
those whom I have met here and have interrogated 
have confirmed the story that John, son of Zebedee, 
told me in Capharnaum several weeks ago. It is 
really on account of the impression left upon me by 
the recital that I wished to see with my own eyes 
Jacob's famous well, which is so near the city. This 
is what John told me. I will use his own words : 

“ We were returning from Jerusalem with our Mas- 
ter and were crossing Samaria, in order to reach Gal- 
ilee. At midday we had arrived near Shechem, at the 
well of Jacob; it was very warm, and we were hungry. 
The other disciples had gone into the city to buy pro- 
visions. My Master was seated on the edge of the 
well. . . After this beginning John hesitated, 

as if there were in his story something which was not 
for a pagan's ears, but I insisted on knowing every- 
thing, so he continued : 

Know, then, that Jesus of Nazareth, is a descend- 
ant of Jacob, and that the wells of his ancestors 
brought to Him historical memories which are dear to 
all Jews, but which to Him must be dearer still. 
Know, also, that the mission of His great ancestor in 
Mesopotamia was but a figure of His own mission 


THREE PASTORALS 


45 


upon this earth; because He says of Himself that He 
is sent by His Celestial Father among men, to seek a 
spouse, but a mystical spouse, with whom a supernat- 
ural bond will form the only union. Turning his eyes 
towards Shechem, Jesus seemed to expect her who was 
to come and who should be the image, or figure of his 
mystical spouse. And behold a woman advances as 
did Rachael of old, to draw water. But this time it was 
not a pure and innocent virgin, worthy of the chaste 
spouse who awaited her coming, but a lost woman 
who lived in public shame. Notwithstanding this, 
when she approached the well, Jesus cast upon her a 
penetrating look and said : ‘ Give me to drink.’ She 
answered in astonishment, ‘ How it is that you, who are 
Jew, ask of me, who am a Samaritan woman, to give 
you to drink? The Jews hold no intercourse with 
the Samaritans.’ 

‘‘ .Without answering this observation, Jesus sighed 
deeply and raised his eyes to Heaven. Then again 
He fixed them upon those of the Samaritan woman 
and said to her: ‘ Hadst thou but known the gift of 
God! Didst thou but know Who it is that says to 
thee, ‘‘ Give me to drink,” thou wouldst perhaps have 
asked of Him the same question, and He would give 
thee living water.’ ‘ But, Lord,’ said the woman, ‘ you 
have no vessel in which to draw water, and the well is 
deep. From whence then could you give me living 
water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who 
gave us this well ? ’ ‘ Whosoever drinks of this 

water,’ answered Jesus, ' will thirst again, but he who 
drinks of the water which I will give him will never 
4 


THE CENTURION 


46 

thirst. Because the water which I will give him/ 
added He, raising His right hand toward the heights, 
‘ will become in him a living source springing up into 
life eternal’ Did the Samaritan understand what 
was this living water which the Prophet offered her? 
Obviously not. Did she see in these words any vague 
glimmer of the truth? Perhaps so. In any case, 
the poor sinner made an act of blind faith, and in this 
faith lies salvation. ‘ Lord,’ she implored, ‘ give me 
this water so that I may no longer thirst, nor come 
here again to draw water from the well’ ‘ Go,’ 
answered Jesus, ‘ call thy husband and return to this 
place.’ The woman blushed and answered frankly: 
‘ I have no husband.’ ‘ Thou sayest truth. Thou 
hast had five, and he with whom thou livest now is 
not thy husband.’ ‘ Lord,’ cried the unhappy woman, 
‘ I see thou art a prophet.’ And immediately she en- 
deavored to question Him on the foundation of the 
Samaritan faith, and on the great religious con- 
troversy which divided these co-religionists among 
the Jews, in order the better to understand the 
truth for which she had an instinctive thirst. ‘ Our 
fathers adored upon this mountain,’ (she pointed 
toward the Gerizim) ‘ and you say that we must 
adore in Jerusalem. Whom should one believe?’ 
This desire for the gift of God which she sponta- 
neously manifested rejoiced the heart of Jesus, and He 
answered, as if He were in the temple, in the presence 
of a crowd eager to hear Him, ‘ Woman, believe me ; 
the hour approaches when it will be no longer on 
this mountain nor in Jerusalem that you will adore 


THREE PASTORALS 


47 


the Father. You adore One whom you know not. 
But we adore Whom we know, for salvation comes 
from the Jews. But the hour arrives and has already 
come, when the true adorers will worship the Father 
in spirit and in truth, and these are the adorers whom 
the Father wishes. God is a spirit, and those who 
worship Him should worship Him in spirit and in 
truth.’ The Samaritan opened her eyes and ears, 
making all possible effort to understand these tran- 
scendent words. She supposed that they meant : 
‘ The names Gerizim and Jerusalem, are of very little 
importance; adoration is not a physical act but a 
spiritual one. Thou hast only known the adora- 
tion of the flesh, but it is in the Spirit that one must 
adore.’ She felt that a superior Being was before her, 
and a vague presentiment warned her that it might 
be the long-promised Messiah. Was not the real 
‘gift of God’ to the earth to be the Messiah? 
‘ Could it be He,’ she wondered, and then said to 
Him : ‘ I know that the Messiah, whom they call 

Christ, will come. When He comes. He will teach us 
all things.’ Before this simple faith and generous 
aspiration toward Him, Jesus opened His heart, and 
in a spontaneous outburst, said to her : ‘I am the 
Messiah; I, Who speak to thee.’ The Samaritan 
listened no more; she knew all that was necessary to 
know. She understood now the gift of God, and 
leaving her empty pitcher without longer thinking 
of the material water she had come to draw to quench 
her thirst, took her way into the city, and breathless 
she cried to all whom she met : ‘ Come, come, come, 


i 


48 


THE CENTURION 


and see a Man who has told me all that I have done. 
Might it not be Christ? ’ At the cry of this woman, 
coming so truly from her soul, the Samaritans, 
firmly believing in an expected Messiah, ran to the 
well of Jacob at her call, in spite of the scorn they felt 
for her. When Jesus saw them coming across the 
fields, dressed in their white tunics. He said to us: 
‘ Lift up your eyes and see the country-side ripening 
for the harvest. In a few months the harvest will 
be ready for the gleaners.' We spent two days at 
Shechem, and a great number of the inhabitants be- 
lieved, after having heard our Master, that He was 
in truth the promised Messiah." 

‘‘ But what was the mystical marriage of which you 
spoke and which your Prophet wished to contract ? " 
I asked John. 

He explained it all to me: ‘‘Jesus of Nazareth is 
the son of God, and He is sent by His Father to found 
upon the earth a society which will embrace all 
nations and which will be His mystical spouse. He 
calls it His church. Posterity, issue of this marriage, 
will be innumerable, and will form a new people of 
God. Humanity entire is invited to become part of 
it. The well of Jacob, near which the Son of God 
will go to await it, and which serves as a drinking 
place for the flocks, but whose water is not living, 
is the fountain of human weaknesses and of the 
empty joys of earth. This water cannot appease the 
thirst for happiness which torments the world. It is 
the impure spring where the world comes every day 
to drink, in the vain hope that its passions will be 


PEASANT AND PHILOSOPHER 


49 


satiated ; because, like the Samaritan woman, humanity 
is a sinner and no longer knows the gift of God. But 
the Son of God brings it, in his own person, to the 
mysterious nuptials which He wishes to celebrate 
with it.” 

‘‘All this appears to me to be very beautiful, but 
strange,” I said to John. 

“ Yes, perhaps so,” he answered, “ but the word of 
the Master enlightens everything.” 

I ask myself, my dear Tullius, if thou wilt enjoy 
this story told me by my friend John. My idyl of 
Myriam pleased thee, but there is an abyss between 
it and that of Photina, the Samaritan. Both, however, 
prove that Jesus of Nazareth seeks only to purify 
woman, whilst men seek but to vilify her. 

June 8th, y8i, Shechem. 


XIII 

PEASANT AND PHILOSOPHER 
TULLIUS TO CAIUS 
*‘0 rus, quando te aspiciam.” 

F or a long time I have breathed this sigh with 
our poet Horace. My dream at last is 
realized. I am become a peasant of Tibur. Roman 
society no longer held its charm for me, and, to crown 
my disgust, several of our friends became disciples of 
Isis. Canst thou understand this aberration, which 
borrows from dead Egypt a divinity that has never 
existed and is even more fabulous than our gods of 


50 


THE CENTURION 


Olympus? So I have left Rome and have taken 
Horace’s ancient villa given him by his generous 
friend Maecenas, eight miles from Tibur, in the 
Sabine Mountains. Here I will spend the summer 
and perhaps the winter. Naturally, I have set my- 
self the task of re-reading the Odes and Epodes of the 
poet, and I say with him, Beatus ille qui procul 
negotiis/^ I find in many passages the description 
of my new domain. The poet did not over-rate it, 
but I have greatly embellished it. Horace appreciated 
a pretty spring forming a stream, near which he 
loved to sleep, lying in the grass. By turning this 
stream aside, I have given myself the luxury of a pond 
sufficiently large for the establishment of small fish- 
eries. I have added to the house as well as to the 
green and acacia bordered lawns. 

I have woods and fields and am surrounded by 
mountains, which protect me so well against the north 
wind that I have forgiven them for limiting my 
horizon. 

Love for the country is a distinguished taste, and 
it is to give themselves this appearance of distinction 
that many imbeciles bury themselves every year in 
a place which bores them. But I assure thee I really 
love this isolation and the repose it gives me. I have 
acquired this taste, perhaps, through Virgil and 
Lucretius, whom I have read a great deal and who, 
in my opinion, had a better understanding of rural 
joys than Horace. I read them here with a new 
charm, but the reading of the Georgies has convinced 
me that I am neither a true horticulturist nor a real 


PEASANT AND PHILOSOPHER 


51 


shepherd. Virgil was an artist in the cultivation of 
fields and woods and in the breeding of his flocks. I 
am hardly even an amateur, and my little flock serves 
but to decorate the landscape. 

The Georgies have little power to move me, in spite 
of the beauty of their verses, and in my present state 
of mind I rather prefer Cicero. His philosophical 
and religious works enchant me. A deep thinker, 
scholar and writer, he is in reality our greatest in- 
tellectual light. Nevertheless, all that thou writest 
me about the Messiah interests me more than any- 
thing else, and dost thou know what book gives me 
at present the greatest delight? It is none other than 
the Book of Wisdom. I found a Greek copy of it 
the other day in the Ghetto, and it seems to me that it 
contains more philosophy than the greatest works of 
the Greek Sages. These are some of the verses giving 
depth to my reflection : — 

“For God made not death, neither had He pleasure in the de- 
struction of the living, for He created all things that they 
might be; 

And He made the nations of the earth for health: 

And there is no poison of destruction in them, 

Nor kingdom of hell upon earth : 

For justice is perpetual and immortal, 

But the wicked hath works and words have called it to them; 
and esteeming it a friend, 

Have fallen away, and have made a covenant into it: because 
they are worthy to be of the part thereof. 

“Fpr God created man incorruptible. 

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, 

And the torment of death shall not touch them. 

In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die 


52 ' 


THE CENTURION 


And their departure was taken for misery, 

And their going away from us for utter destruction; but they 
are in peace. 

Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded, 
because God had tried them and found them worthy of 
Himself.” 

While meditating upon these verses, clearer and 
more reassuring than those of Cicero, I have asked 
myself if the just alone were not the immortals and 
if annihilation were not the chastisement of the im- 
pious. But no. It would be no punishment to them, 
for if they call on death, it is because they hope that 
death will destroy them. Wherefore the Book of 
Wisdom adds : ‘‘ But the impious will receive the 
punishment deserved by their wicked thoughts.’’ 
Hence, immortality is the sovereign good given by 
God to all men, and if it become the sovereign evil of 
the wicked, it is their own fault. What greatness and 
what exaltation lies in this philosophy! And how 
much Horace lowers himself in my estimation, when 
I think of his sterile complaints against death and 
the justification that he expects to find in it for his 
epicurean life. When thou shalt know the Prophet 
of Galilee, ask Him to speak of the great problem of 
death and let me know what He says of it. 

May 2 d, f8i, Tibur, 


A RESURRECTION 


53 


XIV 

A RESURRECTION 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

W ONDER succeeds wonder, and I ask myself if 
I live in a real world or in a land of dreams. 
Were I to undertake to tell thee all that the Prophet 
does and says in the presence of the crowds who fol- 
low Him, I should write volumes. This would be 
impossible. But thou wouldst censure me if I left 
thee in ignorance of a few extraordinary facts to 
which through mere chance, I was witness. Listen 
to what I saw with my own eyes yesterday, at the 
twilight hour. I was returning on horseback with 
several legionaries from a long ride towards Nazareth, 
and we had crossed the market-town of Naim which 
is built in an attractive solitary valley at the foot of 
the mountain. We were slowly following a sinuous 
route bordered with trees and brushwood, when we 
perceived in front of us a funeral cortege wending 
its way along the slope of Little Hermon toward the 
cemetery of the village. Nothing is sadder nor more 
impressive than these Oriental funerals, and it was in 
silence that we drew up alongside the procession. 
There was a long line of men and women dressed in 
trailing black garments, who wept, chanting sad and 
monotonous songs. The body of the dead man was 
lying on a stretcher carried by four men and covered 
only with a black cloth. What added to the sadness 
of this scene was the music, noisy and without art or 


54 


THE CENTURION 


harmony, whose despairing monotony mingled with 
the sighs and tears of the mourners. Soon, at our 
left, in a crevice of the hill, the white sepulchres of 
an old cemetery became outlined. I recalled to my- 
self our admirable ‘‘ Via Appia ’’ with its magnificent 
funeral monuments, and the contrast saddened me; 
but our Via Appia never saw and never will see what 
my eyes then witnessed. All at once at the summit 
of the hill, several hundred steps in front of us, 
appeared another procession of men, women and 
children coming to meet us. At the head of it, draped 
in the long folds of his white tunic, walked the 
Prophet of Nazareth. At this sight, I was unac- 
countably seized with an irresistible trembling. I was 
far from expecting what was going to happen, for 
there was nothing extraordinary in the fact of a 
crowd crossing a funeral procession. But neverthe- 
less, it seemed to me there was something portentous 
in this unforeseen meeting of the great Prophet with 
death. 

Many times already had He displayed His power 
over nature, but what could He do in the presence of 
death, the great enemy who is never overcome ? 
Would He dare command it as He had commanded 
the angry sea? Stretched on his bier, his head rest- 
ing on a little cushion of red silk, his face uncovered, 
the dead man, the only son of a widow, slept his last 
sleep. Nothing troubled him, neither the tears of 
his mother, nor the lamentations of the mourners, nor 
the discordant clash of the brass instruments, nor the 
psalmodies of the chanters, nor the cadenced steps of 


A RESURRECTION 


55 


his bearers. The book of life was closed and sealed 
for him. It was a supreme unending peace. He 
heard, he saw, no more; his eyes were closed for all 
time and in spite of that, he saw through and beyond 
all time, where in an unknown realm, he would no 
longer be blind. But what did he see? No one on 
this earth can tell. It is the great mystery whose 
secret perhaps belongs only to Him who has just 
come. But it was not enough to know the secret of 
death in order to restore the boy to his weeping 
mother. The power of resuscitation was necessary. 
Would the Prophet prove that He was the Resurrec- 
tion and the Life? 

I was asking myself this question, when I saw Him 
raise His hands and command the funeral procession 
to stop. There was an indescribable agitation in the 
crowd. 

“ The Prophet ! The Prophet ! they cried, and 
they grouped themselves around Him, as he drew 
nearer to the litter that rested upon the ground. I 
rode up as close to it as possible, and from my height 
could see over the heads of the multitude, who scat- 
tered to allow the approach of the unhappy mother 
whose only son they were about to bury. 

And then, lifting her veil, she fixed her great eyes, 
red with tears, imploringly upon the Prophet, but she 
did not pronounce one word, for great sorrows are 
dumb. Weep no more,’’ said Jesus to her, with 
deep feeling, and stretching His hand over the bier. 
He looked at the dead man. The dumb crowd 
was breathless. Suddenly He said in a loud voice, 


THE CENTURION 


56 

Young man, I say to thee, ‘ Arise ! ’ ’’ Oh, Tullius, 
wouldst thou believe it, he who was dead arose, and 
the Prophet, taking him by the hand, led him to his 
mother, as He said, Woman, behold your son ! ” 
Such was the stupefaction and astonishment of the 
multitude that it remained for an instant mute and 
still, but a moment afterwards the very air vibrated 
to the delirium of enthusiasm and joy. 

Those who were nearest the Prophet prostrated 
themselves before Him and kissed His feet, while 
others caught up His hands to embrace them, and 
the acclamations did not cease to resound Hosan- 
nah ! Hosannah ! A great Prophet is risen among 
us, and God has visited his people.” I should have 
liked to express my admiration to the Prophet Him- 
self, but it was impossible to reach Him. The parents 
and the friends of him who had been dead took posses- 
sion of Him and returned along the route to Naim 
singing canticles of joy. Immobile and silent, under 
the influence of a deep emotion, we watched this 
triumphal procession a long time. Quis est istef ” 
my companions asked me at last. I made a sign to 
them that I could not answer, and I put the same 
question to thee. Quis est iste virf ” What is this 
man ? As night was coming on, we resumed our way 
toward Magdala, making our horses gallop the entire 
distance, while we could still hear from afar the cries 
of the crowd entering into Naim with the Prophet. 

But while I rode along by the light of the first stars, 
I remained absorbed in the contemplation of the great 
problems of life and death and told myself that neither 


NEW WONDERS 


57 


Socrates nor Plato had solved them. Our Cicero, 
greatest of all the Romans, tells us truly that after 
death the spirit remains full of life, even more so, 
by reason of its detachment from things of earth. 
But what is this spirit which we also call the soul? 
What is the life of this soul apart from the body? 
Where does it go after this separation? 

Can we still have any intercourse with it; and 
how? Neither Cicero nor any other philosopher has 
found the answer to these questions. But Jesus of 
Nazareth must know it, since He could restore to a 
dead body the soul that had left it. He must have 
some communication with the souls of the dead, since 
that of the widow’s son heard His voice and obeyed 
Him. This Man, then, must be placed above all the 
philosophers and perhaps over all humanity? 

Magdala, June 20th,. 


XV 

NEW WONDERS 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

I HAVE not written to thee for months, my dear 
Tullius, and I have many things to tell thee. I 
ought soon to have forgotten even the memory of 
Myriam. I believed that in a short time I would no 
longer think of her, because, after all, I did not really 
love her, and I ought to have despised her from the 
moment I learned the scandal of her life. But no, 
the heart has its mysteries, and once captured, it is 


THE CENTURION 


58 

difficult to break its chains. What I have learned 
since my last letter proves to me first of all that 
Myriam is really one of the elect. Her great heart 
had an irresistible need of love, but it was too vast 
to be satisfied by any mere human affection. Not 
having found in her husband the ideal of which she 
had dreamed, she sought it elsewhere without finding 
it, until at last she met the Prophet, who revealed to 
her a love which I do not understand, of which even 
she herself knew nothing and which has encompassed 
all her soul. It is no longer possible to be mistaken 
in this, and all Magdala bears witness that the love 
of Myriam for the Prophet is absolutely ideal, 
spiritual and supernatural. It is not the Man whom 
she loves; it is Jehovah’s Messenger; it is the mys- 
terious Being who claims to have received from 
Heaven the mission to establish God’s kingdom on 
earth. 

And if I speak thus to thee, my dear Tullius, it is 
because for months I myself have been living in an 
atmosphere of miracles and wonders which surrounds 
and dominates me. 

Capharnaum, where the Prophet lives, is two hours’ 
walk from Magdala, and naturally, I hear of every- 
thing that happens there. It seems almost unbe- 
lievable. Not only does He cure the infirm, the sick, 
the deaf, the dumb and the blind, the lepers, the most 
abandoned creatures ; but above all He cures the soul. 
He makes good men of wicked ones and of lost women, 
like Myriam and Photina, he makes models of virtue. 
What do I say? He commands the demons as we 


NEW WONDERS 


59 


command our slaves, and they obey Him because they 
are powerless to resist. There thou hast a phenome- 
non full of mystery which I am incapable of explain- 
ing, but of which no one here has any doubt, as it is 
indubitably proven day by day before crowds of wit- 
nesses. 

There are in this country great numbers of unfor- 
tunates, possessed by the devil, who are no longer 
masters of their own action, and who in spite of them- 
selves do unconsciously and even with grief what- 
ever the Spirit of Evil inspires in them. Naturally, 
they themselves do not come to beg their deliverance 
of the Prophet. They are brought before Him by 
force, and they cry, ‘^What dost thou wish of us; 
wouldst thou loose us? Leave us alone. We know 
thee. Thou art the Son of God ! ’’ 

And the Prophet, Who always speaks with so much 
gentleness, says in a threatening tone to the Spirit 
of Evil, '‘Be quiet and leave this man!” and the 
poor wretches are freed. 

I give thee these facts for thy hour of reflection 
and study. Can there be an analogy between these 
demons and those spirits which formerly took posses- 
sion of our sybils and witches? Even Nature itself 
obeys the Prophet of Galilee. 

When His disciples have fished all night, catching 
nothing. He steps into Simon’s boat and makes him 
cast out his net, and immediately it is filled with such 
numbers of fishes that it takes two boats to hold them. 

And then He announces to Simon Peter his future 
mission: “Thou shalt be a fisher of men.” 


6o 


THE CENTURION 


When the sea is lifted by the tempest and threatens 
to swallow up the disciples, He cries to it : “ Peace 
be still, and the troubled waters are calmed. Several 
weeks ago the disciples were crossing the lake at 
night. They had left their Master in Persea and 
were returning to Capharnaum struggling bravely 
against the wind, but soon the tempest was upon them, 
and waves filled the boat. The disciples thought them- 
selves lost. But suddenly a white form could be seen 
outlined against the blackness of the night, walking 
upon the water. The terror of the disciples in- 
creased. 

“ It is a phantom ! ’’ they cried in fright. 

It is I ! answered the luminous apparition, ‘‘ fear 
not!’’ 

“ Lord,” answered Simoa Peter, ‘‘ command me to 
come to Thee.” 

Come,” said Jesus. 

And Peter went to meet the Master, walking upon 
the waves; and when Jesus entered the boat, not 
only the tempest ceased, but the little barque itself had 
been drawn by an unseen force into the harbor of 
Capharnaum. 

I can add my own testimony to these recitals which 
were given me by several witnesses; because this 
same night I, too, was crossing the Sea of Genezareth. 
I was returning from a visit to Kersa, a little Roman 
colony situated on the eastern bank. A light breeze 
blew from the southwest, and my four rowers were 
very slow in pulling the boat against the wind; all 
at once the night grew dark and a hurricane raged. 


NEW WONDERS 


6i 


It was impossible to raise a sail, and we tried to reach 
land by means of our oars, but all our efforts were 
powerless, and the tempest became more and more 
violent. Then came a moment when we thought our- 
selves lost. All at once, in an instant, the wind 
ceased blowing, and the sea became calm. The 
change was so sudden that it seemed inexplicable and 
contrary to all laws of nature, but the next day when 
I arrived at Capharnaum, a disciple of Jesus told us 
what had happened during the night, and it is his 
story which I have faithfully given thee above. 

But I have not written thee what was told me at 
the moment when I was about to re-embark on my 
return to Capharnaum. It was, that on the same 
day, not far from Bethsaida- Julius, the Prophet 
had fed five thousand men, without counting the 
women and children, with five loaves and two fishes ! 

Is there, then, no limit to the power of this man? 
If He be master of the elements, of the forces of 
nature, of health, of life, of death, if He have equal 
power over the body, over the soul, and over the 
devil. He is undoubtedly a superhuman being. 

Magdala, October 6th, ySi, 


5 


62 


THE CENTURION 


XVI 

THE DRAMA OF MACH^RUS 
CAIUS TO TULLIUS 

I T is neither an idyl nor a pastoral which I am 
about to tell thee, but one of the most tragic of 
dramas. Thou rememberest John who publicly ac- 
cused King Herod of adultery and incestuousness and 
who was imprisoned in Machaerus a year ago ? 
This punishment did not satisfy Queen Herodias, but 
she hid her resentment and postponed her vengeance. 
But lo and behold! last week the King wished to 
celebrate his birthday, and the Queen asked that this 
great feast might take place in the castle of 
Machserus. 

The high functionaries of State, the principal offi- 
cers of the army and all those of the Roman Garri- 
sons were invited, and I thought it my duty to be 
present. It is a journey of two long days on horse- 
back, but the country is picturesque and full of re- 
minders of the marvelous history of the Jewish people. 
Its wild character seems almost to illustrate these 
events and is the frame which best becomes them. 
The mountains are like part of the construction of 
Babel and are crossed by deep gehennas bordered with 
mysterious grottos that seem to bear within them all 
the horror of crime and chastisement. 

The Israelites had traversed these rugged summits 
when they marched to the conquest of the Promised 


THE DRAMA OF MACH^RUS 63 

Land, and here Joshua led his victorious battalions as 
they drove the Moabites before them. Clearly de- 
fined against the horizon rises Mount Nebo, scene of 
the death of Moses. On its heights, Baal and 
Jehovah had each in turn his altar, and when the 
children of Israel were led into captivity to Babylon, 
and when they returned thence, it was across these 
mountains they made their painful way. 

The ride was unpleasant the second day, as we 
were overtaken by a dreadful tempest of rain, hail 
and lightning. We were drenched to the bone when 
at last, at the hour of twilight, the embattled walls of 
Machaerus rose before us. We are lodged in a wing 
of the castle overlooking a deep ravine, at the foot 
of which roars a torrent whose waters finally are 
lost in the Dead Sea. Thanks to the crevice they 
have worn in the mountain, we were able to see afar 
off a corner of this curious sea that is strangely like 
molten lead. It was Chusa, the King’s steward, who 
installed us. He presented me to his wife, Johanna, 
who asked for news of Jesus of Nazareth. 

I told her all I had learned about Him. She lis- 
tened with a lively interest and put an end to the 
interview by saying, ‘‘ As for me, I believe that He 
is the expected Messiah.” 

Chusa then took me to visit the castle and its de- 
pendencies. Machaerus is a truly royal residence, 
but at the same time it is dreary and its sadness 
oppressive. After having visited the apartments open 
to the public, we entered into the turret, which is a 
round, massive tower crowned by a parapet and which 


64 


THE CENTURION 


serves as a prison, while being at the same time the 
most formidable part of the fortification. 

Have you any prisoners ? I asked the steward. 

‘‘ Several,’’ he said, ‘‘ most of them are robbers and 
assassins, but the most famous is he who is styled the 
Prophet.” 

‘‘ What Prophet?” 

“ John the Baptist, who calls himself the precursor 
of the Messiah, and who is an astonishing person- 
ality.” 

‘‘ I should like to see him.” 

“ Here is his cell. You may enter.” And the 
soldier threw the door open. 

The cell was very dark. One solitary beam of light 
found its way down from a loophole in the wall, but out 
of the depths of the shadow shone two luminous rays 
like glowing coals of fire. They were the eyes of the 
prophet, who crouched on the floor as is the way of the 
Oriental. 

On perceiving us, he rose and said, “ At last ! Do 
you bring me death ? ” 

‘‘ No,” answered Chusa, ‘‘ I am bringing you a 
Roman Centurion, who is on a visit to the castle and 
who wishes to see you.” 

The prophet fixed his piercing eyes upon me. 

‘‘ I knew Cornelius the Centurion of Capharnaum,” 
he said, “ and you are very like him.” 

‘‘ He is my father,” I said. 

‘‘Well, then, if you resemble him morally as you 
do physically you are a good man.” 


THE DRAMA OF MACH^RUS 65 

“ But my father has never been one of your dis- 
ciples ? 

Oh, no, but he once came to the banks of the 
Jordan to hear me, and the questions he asked con- 
vinced me that he sought for truth in good faith.” 

‘‘ Have you preached a great deal? ” 

Enough to fulfill my duty, but the king has found 
that it was too much.” 

“ And if he set you free? ” 

I would stand again before him and repeat those 
words he does not wish to hear: 'Non licet, what 
you have done. Sire, is a crime. And I would repeat 
the same words in public.” 

“To what good? You do not hope to convince 
him?” 

“ No; but it is good for all the world to know that 
the law of Jehovah is the same for everyone and what 
is wicked for the humble is also wicked for the great 
- — ' for kings.” 

“How old are you?” 

“ Thirty-three years old.” 

“ Why are you, still young, so set upon ruining your 
career and interrupting a course of teaching so useful 
to your countrymen ? ” 

“ My mission is ended. I was a precursor of the 
Messiah, whom the world has expected for more than 
forty centuries. He has come, and He has begun to 
preach. I have presented Him to the multitude. I 
have made known who He is, and the crowds have 
left me and have gone to Him. It was right that it 


66 


THE CENTURION 


should be so, and I am content. I do not fear death; 
I await it. My usefulness is over.” 

At your age,” said I, saluting him, one does not 
die,” and as I turned toward the door, I said, ‘‘ I 
hope to see you soon in Galilee.” 

‘‘ No, you will not see me again. Go rather to 
see Jesus of Nazareth. It is He who is the Lamb 
of God and the great victim whose blood shall efface 
the sins of the world. It is He who is the true 
Prophet of the New Law. I am one of the last rep- 
resentatives of those who were known as the people 
of God and this people will die with me. A new 
kingdom will be founded of which Jesus of Nazareth 
will be sovereign. He is the King of kings, and the 
day will come when your Rome will be chastised as 
was Jerusalem and will become the seat of His power- 
ful empire which shall eclipse that of Augustus.” 

I had already left the prisoner’s cell, and I thought 
he raved, his eyes flashing fire remained fixed on 
some imaginary distance. The steward closed the 
door, and I returned to my apartment. 

That night the banquet took place, which I have 
not time to describe for thee and which terminated 
in such a tragic fashion. We had eaten the rarest 
food and drunk the most exquisite wines, when one 
of the doors of the hall opened and a dancer glided 
in. It is a spectacle which the kings of the East 
never fail to offer their guests, one which is always 
highly appreciated. But this time the dancer was 
particularly interesting, for she was not a professional, 


THE DRAMA OF MACH^RUS 67 

an Egyptian slave, but a Jewish princess. It was 
Salome herself, the daughter of Herodias. 

The music left much to be desired but the dancer 
was bewitching and her success aroused tremendous 
enthusiasm. Excited by the copious libations poured 
out by his cupbearers, the King raved. He made the 
beautiful Salome approach closer to him so that he 
could the better express his admiration and said to 
her in a loud voice, as Assuerus had said to Esther, 
“ Ask what thou wilt and I will give it thee, though 
it should be half of my kingdom.” 

Salome ran to consult her mother on what she 
should ask. On returning she said to the King, I 
ask that you give me, at once, the head of John the 
Baptist in a basin.” 

The guests were struck with stupefaction. The 
King grew pale, but very soon he understood that it 
was Herodias who spoke through the mouth of her 
daughter, and the power of this woman dominated 
his own. He signed to a eunuch who stood near him, 
and the man left the room. The dancer repeated 
one of her choregraphical steps with great success. 
After a few minutes the executioner returned, bear- 
ing in an agate dish the bleeding head of the Prophet. 
Salome received it in her hands and smilingly bow- 
ing her head before Herod left the hall, carrying the 
horrible gift to her still more horrible mother. 

When I regained my apartment, the banquet had 
degenerated into an orgy. Thou seest, my dear 
Tullius, that King Herod is a worthy protege of the 


68 


THE CENTURION 


Caesars. His first education was received in Rome, 
his is a product of Roman civilization. Thou re- 
memberest that Fulvia amused herself by piercing the 
tongue of Cicero with a hair-pin till Anthony made 
her desist? Well, in the same manner did Herodias 
amuse herself with the head of the Prophet, John the 
Baptist. Adieu. 

Magdala, Dec. 2 gd, f8i, 

XVII 

CAMILLA 

TULLIUS TO CAIUS 

T GIVE thee a piece of news which will perhaps 
I rejoice thee. The old Senator Claudius, a 
great friend of thy family, has left for the Orient 
with his daughter Camilla. The noble old man had 
for some time perceived that he had become a 
suspect. He was one of the rare members of the 
Senate who sometimes dared resist the orders sent 
from Capri, and the informers threatened to inscribe 
his name in the list of proscription which they send 
every day to Tiberius. He knew well that his rela- 
tionship with the god who was master of the world 
would not save him. 

Informed of his danger, his wife Flavia and his 
daughter Camilla urged him to leave Rome. For a 
long time his son-in-law, Pontius Pilate, Procurator 
of Judea, and his wife Claudia Procla had invited him 
to Jerusalem to visit them. At last he yielded to 


CAMILLA 


69 

the insistence of his best friends and embarked for 
the Orient at Ostia with his daughter Camilla. It is 
understood that, if their sojourn in Palestine should 
be prolonged, his wife will join them. They will 
rest at Pompeii, where they will be the guests of their 
friends, the Holconii. They will also stop at Alex- 
andria, will visit lower Egypt and then set sail for 
Caesarea where, during a part of the year, Pilate lives. 
I saw them on their departure and spoke to them. 

If thou shouldst meet them in Jerusalem or else- 
where, thou wilt find Camilla grown and developed. 
She has not precisely the beauty which strikes one 
at the first glance and attracts, but her features, with- 
out being absolutely regular, are fine and lend a 
charming expression to two large eyes full of serene 
light and sweetness. When she is silent and looks 
down, her face lacks vivacity, but as soon as she be- 
gins to speak it becomes animated. In her wide open 
pupils her brilliant soul seems to kindle a flame which 
spreads over her whole face and gives it that warm 
tone and coloring which distinguishes the Roman 
beauties. A beautiful figure completes her distinc- 
tion, but I particularly love her sympathetic smile; it 
is like a ray of sunshine across the petals of a flower. 

When thou shalt know her better, it will be easier 
for thee to forget the lovely Myriam. The recluse of 
Tibur salutes thee. 

Tibur, March i^th, 182. 


PART II 


CAMILLA’S JOURNAL 
I 

FROM ROME TO POMPEII 

F rom the beginning of our travels, Mother my 
beloved, I will start the journal ” which I 
promised to write for you. 

I will faithfully note down all my impressions; I 
will describe the countries we shall visit, and, should 
we witness anything of great interest, I shall not for- 
get to tell you of it. I hope to meet returning 
couriers from time to time who will take these letters 
to you. I brought with me my favorite book, the 
^neid, which will serve as guide while being always 
an incomparable poem. I read it with joy when 
^olus and Neptune leave me in peace. 

The better to enjoy the harmony of the verses, I 
read them aloud while the sailors often draw near 
and group themselves around me to listen. They, too, 
seem to appreciate the music of our beautiful poetic 
language. The ^neid is a veritable guide during the 
voyage we are making, though several spots have 
changed, greatly since the epoch of ^neas. But Vir- 
gil did not always take into account the eight cen- 
70 


ROME TO POMPEII 


71 


turies which separated Augustus from his Trojan hero. 
He often describes places just as he himself saw them 
and as they are to-day. 

The Tyrrhenian Sea showed itself very gentle. In 
a few hours we lost sight of the port of Ostia, and on 
the following day we landed at Cumae. On the 
heights still rise ruins of the Temple of Apollo where 
^neas came to pray, but the Sibyl has deserted her 
cave dug in the slope of the rock of Cumae. 

If one were to believe Virgil’s description, this 
cavern should have a hundred doors, and from these 
hundred doors would issue as many voices, giving 
answer to those coming to consult her. 

" Exisum Euboicae latus ingens rupis in antrum 
Quo lati ducunt aditus centum ostia centum 
Unde ruunt todiem voces responsa Sibyllae.” 

Can this whole mountain of Eubeus have been over- 
turned by earthquakes? I do not know, but the 
ground no longer bears the faintest resemblance to 
the poet’s description. It is a long time since people 
believed in the oracles of the Sibyl. And I ask who 
could say to-day with the faintest hope of being be- 
lieved, — 

“Deus, ecce Deus. (God, — here is God!) 

It is He who will speak through my mouth I ” 

I also wanted to see Lake Averno and the deep 
cavern which leads down to hell, to the field of tears, 
'' lugentes campi/' where those sigh whose unhappy 
love has led them into wrong; to the field of war- 


72 


THE CENTURION 


riors, Arva ultima/* to Tartarus and the Elysean 
fields. But neither the black lake nor the dark grot- 
toes, nor the deep crevices in the flank of the moun- 
tain can lead us to the abiding place of souls. Is all 
that, then, but poetic fiction? 

Nevertheless, somewhere there must exist a mys- 
terious kingdom which outlives death, where the 
wicked are punished and where the good are rewarded ! 
What god will come to reveal the mysteries of these 
unknown regions ? I put these questions to the divine 
Virgil when I visited his tomb at the foot of the 
mountain where the children of Greece came to found 
a new Parthenope. But he answered nothing. 

This beautiful colony is becoming a flourishing 
city. The rich are building sumptuous villas facing 
the sea, which are terraced upon the hillside in the 
midst of vines and orchards as far as Pompeii. 


II 

POMPEU 

H ere we are in the city of pleasure seekers, and 
I find it not only gay but most beautiful. I 
never tire of admiring its superb Doric and Corinthian 
colonnades. The walks beyond the city, above all 
those that zigzag up the slopes of Vesuvius, are ideal. 
They are shady and sweet with the breath of flowers. 
On all sides they take in a vast horizon and an end- 
less perspective of azure sea. Nothing is more smil- 
ing, more flourishing, more enchanting than this 


POMPEII 


73 


Mount Vesuvius, carpeted as it is with vineyards, 
green grasses and flowers. One appreciates its 
beauties all the more if thoughts are allowed to wan- 
der. Should the interior fire that sleeps in this moun- 
tain awaken, if the Titans whom Jupiter struck with 
his thunderbolts and enchained in these shady 
caverns should suddenly revolt and force open the 
walls of their prison, what a catastrophe it would be, 
and what would become of those beautiful cities — • 
Herculaneum and Pompeii, that dream only of 
multiplying their enjoyments and perfecting their 
pleasures. 

Pompeii is an aristocratic little city of thirty thou- 
sand souls. In spite of this it carries on an immense 
commerce. Its beautiful harbor, constantly receding 
and on which it is necessary to work without cessa- 
tion, is covered with sails. 

We are the guests of Holconius and have been re- 
ceived at his house with the most delightful welcome. 
These friends of our family live comfortably, and 
their palace, though not large, is luxurious. The 
atrium is comparatively small, but the peristyle is 
spacious and flooded with light. The colonnade sur- 
rounding it is wonderful and monumental. The 
cornice is in rose-tinted stucco and the frieze, re- 
markable for its grace and delicacy, is adorned with 
arabesques. The pavings are of mosaic, the walls 
frescoed, and represent the loves of our gods, which 
between ourselves, are not particularly edifying. Be- 
tween the columns and steps surrounding the peristyle 
are placed bronze and marble statues, alternating with 


74 


THE CENTURION 


rose oleanders and orange trees laden with golden 
fruit. The family spends the greater part of the day 
in this vast hall open to the sun. 

You know, Mother, how our beautiful Appian Way 
reaches as far as Pompeii ; and that in leaving 
Rome it passes through the resting places of the dead? 
Well, here, too, it is transformed into a cemetery on 
its approach to Pompeii, and they call it ‘‘The Way 
of Tombs. ’’ This lugubrious entrance into the city 
of pleasures does not make its careless visitors reflect 
more deeply; they simply admire the sculptural art 
of these funeral monuments. None of them seem to 
dream that pleasure does not last forever and that 
Venus is not the only divinity in the world, if she be 
a divinity at all. 

The life of the Pompeian appears to be altogether 
consecrated to luxury and sensuality. The paintings 
that decorate the frieze and the ceilings, the mosaics 
which cover the pavements and the walls, a whole 
world of statues in suggestive attitudes excite them to 
enjoy and abandon themselves to the sweetness of an 
idle and voluptuous existence. 

The Forum is always filled with loungers chanting 
of Bacchus and sleeping in the sunshine on marble 
benches and on pavements around the fountains whose 
constant drip, drip, accompanies their dreams. 

The theatres overflow with spectators every night, 
where the comedies of the most licentious poets of 
Greece and Rome are played. 

The same crowd is to be seen at the amphitheatre 
and at the baths, and in the vicinity of these edifices. 


POMPEII 


75 

taverns, too much frequented by the friends of the 
gladiators and athletes, are always open. 

The amphitheatre is at the extreme end of the city 
and commands a beautiful view over the country. It 
is far from having the immense proportions of our 
own Circus, but in spite of that, it is a beautiful edi- 
fice and holds twenty thousand spectators. The 
games are the same as in Rome ; the bloodier they are, 
the more they become popular. The gladiators there 
are more admired even than the best tragedians. The 
Theatre of Tragedy is not very spacious, but the 
“ cavea ’’ can hold five thousand spectators. Like 
most of the Greek theatres, it is built on the slope of 
a hill, and on the summit of semicircular steps rises 
a majestic portico upheld by ninety Doric columns. 

Like our own, it is opened by means of poles 
and ropes. It is covered with a red and white awn- 
ing to protect the spectators against the hot rays of 
the sun. No longer are the classical masterpieces 
played there — the Alexandrian dramatists are no 
longer in vogue. Even Aristophanes is considered 
too serious, in spite of his immoralities and ungodli- 
ness. 

Notwithstanding an extensive taste for Greek lit- 
erature, nothing is written or spoken here but Latin; 
all the inscriptions are in Latin. The ^neid is the 
poem most read, even by the common people. 
Learned men quote its verses in their conversation and 
must know entire stanzas of it by heart. After Vir- 
gil, they read Ovid, and his Art of Loving meets with 
the approbation of the multitude. 


76 


THE CENTURION 


The aspect of the Pompeian Forum is a splendid 
one, closely resembling our own. It is extensive, 
bounded on three sides by superb porticoes formed 
of a triple marble colonnade, around which is raised 
a veritable amphitheatre of Temples, triumphal arches 
and other edifices. 

Among the temples dedicated to Jupiter, Hercules, 
and above all to Venus, under different names, I was 
very much surprised to find a temple of Isis. It seems 
that the worship of this Egyptian divinity is widely 
cultivated here. I have seen a statue of Isis seated 
and by her side a serpent twined about a fruit-laden 
tree, while the serpent watches and seems to fascinate 
her. What can this marble group signify? A Pom- 
peian scholar assured me that the Jewish people be- 
lieve that the first woman, mother of the human race, 
was lost through a serpent who had given her poisoned 
fruit. Is it possible that the Egyptians have borrowed 
their Isis from the Jewish books? 

What pleases me the most here is the smiling coun- 
try surrounding the town, the rich vegetation that cov- 
ers it, the vineyards that frame it and the azure sea 
that reflects it. 

Our great Cicero understood the choice of beau- 
tiful spots. He owned here a villa almost as sump- 
tuous as that of Tusculum which you know. In Tus- 
culum he enjoyed the vivifying air of the mountains, 
the aroma of the great woods and the immense hori- 
zon which extended to the sea. From his portico 
with its white columns he could see at his feet the 
beautiful Sabine cities, lower down, the vast Roman 


THE COAST OF SICILY 


77 

campagna with its great aqueducts, and farther on, 
Rome, with her colossal forest of marble. 

Here the horizon is narrower but most graceful. 
The wonderful orator enjoyed a closer view of the 
ocean, and he could drink in its refreshing breeze. He 
could see the floating sails of Neapolitan fishermen, 
and on returning home he could rest his eyes on the 
green slopes and abundant vines of Vesuvius. 

The dear great man! How he must have wept on 
this spot over the death of his well-beloved daughter, 
Tullia 1 

To-morrow we again start out to sea, and after vis- 
iting Sicily, we will set sail for Alexandria. 


Ill 

ON THE COAST OF SICILY 

O N leaving Neapolis our ship skirted the island 
of Capri, where our Caesar lives. It is said to 
be an enchanted spot, and all the pleasures of this 
world are within his reach. But it is also said that he 
is none the happier for that, that he is taciturn and 
gloomy and, that he may not suffer alone, he invents 
tortures for others. The world trembles and kneels be- 
fore him as before a god. Dark days have come over 
our beautiful fatherland. Who will save it from the 
tyranny, corruption and decadence that threaten it? 
Who will restore liberty, religious faith and the morals 
of ancient days? This is what I asked this morning, 

while watching the banks of Capri fade away, with 
6 


THE CENTURION 


78 

its splendid mountainous amphitheatre crowning 
Baia, Pozzuoli and Pompeii. And I have re-read the 
fourth eclogue of my divine Virgil, who seems to 
announce the renewal of humanity as very close at 
hand. Is it a revelation of the gods? Is it a real 
vision of the future such as had the Sibyls? I believe 
and hope that it is so ; but who will come to tear away 
this veil which envelops all truth in unfathomable 
mystery ? 

I was thinking of this, when a young man came and 
sat beside me in the stern of our ship and began to 
read from a roll of papyrus written in Hebrew. He 
had embarked at Pompeii. He is a young Jew from 
Jerusalem who has been spending a year in Rome and 
is returning into his native country. I had met him 
and we had chatted for a long time. His name is 
Gamaliel ; his father is a Scribe, Doctor in Israel, who 
is devoting himself to teaching literature and the He- 
braic religion and whose school is celebrated. Num- 
berless pupils from all parts of Syria, Persia, Egypt 
and even Greece surround his chair. The son him- 
self is well instructed and interesting to hear, though 
he bears for Rome an implacable hatred, and the dream 
of his life is to deliver his country from the yoke of 
the Roman. We spoke of religion, and he explained 
several features of the history of his marvelous na- 
tion. What interests me most is its faith in one God 
and its firm belief in the coming of One who shall be 
sent from Heaven, whom Gamaliel calls the Messiah 
and on whom he counts for the deliverance of his peo- 
ple and their worldly power. 


THE COAST OF SICILY 


79 


I expressed my surprise, and I read to him the 
fourth eclogue of our poet, whose verse he did not 
know. And it was his turn to be astonished when he 
heard these words : — “ At last, the times predicted by 
the Sibyls of Cumae have come. A new race de- 
scends from the heights of Heaven, this child whose 
birth shall end the century of iron and reopen the 
golden age to the entire world; chaste Lucina deign 
to protect him. Son of the gods, this child will govern 
the world. The time approaches. Rise to supreme 
honours, cherished child of the gods. Noble offspring 
of Jupiter. All nature trembles in expectation of this 
happy age.’’ 

‘‘ It is very strange,” said Gamaliel, “ because your 
Virgil could not have been a prophet. There has 
never been one in your country. This hope of a re- 
generation which has penetrated to Rome, as well as 
to Greece, must have its origin in our Holy Books 
that some of your poets may have known.” 

‘‘ But do you really believe,” I asked him, in the 
near approach of your Messiah? ” 

“ Not only I believe that he will come, but I am 
almost convinced that He is already here, that He is 
alive and that at this moment He is working wonders 
in Galilee and Judea.” 

Is it possible? And what manner of man is he? ” 
I do not know Him yet but when I left Jerusalem 
more than a year ago. He was in Galilee. Crowds fol- 
lowed Him. He announced to them the approach- 
ing establishment of the kingdom of God, and He 
cured all the sick and the infirm who were brought to 


8o 


THE CENTURION 


Him. Since then, all the letters that I have received 
from my country speak only of Him and of the pro- 
digious things which He does. His name, Jesus of 
Nazareth, is in every mouth, and the people hope that 
He will soon re-establish the kingdom of Juda.” 

‘‘ And release it from Roman domination? ’’ 

“ Obviously. You can understand how eager I am 
to see my country again and above all my well beloved 
city.’’ 

Our conversation was prolonged far into the night. 
The weather was delicious, the sky serene, and from 
time to time the rowers sang to the cadenced accom- 
paniment of their oars. I hoped in the long undula- 
tions of the sea to catch a glimpse of Nereids and hear 
the voices of Sirens, but I neither saw nor heard any- 
thing. 

When I awoke this morning, we were passing be- 
tween Scylla and Charybdis. I ran up on deck to see 
these terrifying whirlpools, of whom both Homer and 
Virgil have given such frightful descriptions; but 
uT^olus held his breath, and the two monsters must have 
slept, I think. Because I neither saw their foams nor 
heard their sinister cries. It must be only a poetic 
fable. I begin to think that everything is a fable with 
us, beginning with our religion'. 

We drift slowly along the coast of Sicily, driven 
by our swinging oars, and here is yEtna disgorging 
its enormous column of black smoke and red flame 
straight up to the sky. Here, the poets have exagger- 
ated nothing. 

I read Virgil’s pompous description of the volcano, 


THE COAST OF SICILY 


8i 


but I find it far below the truth. The verses are beau- 
tiful and musical, but they are only a feeble picture of 
the terrible mountain. At its foot on a bed of red 
lava, nestles a pretty little white city, near the shore 
of the Blue Sea. How can she live tranquilly in such 
a neighborhood ? vEtna and not Avernus must be one 
of the gates of hell. This must have been the im- 
mense furnace into which the giants who desired to 
scale Mount Olympus and frighten away its gods 
were thrown and swallowed up. At the time of Ulys- 
ses, the famous Cyclops, of whose depredations 
Homer has sung, lived upon this coast, ^neas whose 
vessels skirted along these same shores was, like Ulys- 
ses, a prey to their attacks, only escaping through the 
protection of Venus. These classical memories re- 
turned while we rowed along the coast and passed the 
immense pile of rocks Polyphemus threw into Ulys- 
ses’ ships, the crests of which can still be seen above 
the waves. 

We were favored by a high wind, and towards even- 
ing cast anchor near the island of Ortygia from which 
rises Syracuse. What a picturesque sight and how 
charming this beautiful city looks from a distance! 
One easily recognizes a Greece, less artistic, less ideal, 
perhaps, than that of Athens and Delphi, but more ex- 
tensive, rising like an amphitheatre in the centre of 
green and flowering hills, proudly draped in a chlamys 
of enormous walls and crowned by the summits of 
the mountains of Hybla. 

A city of marble does not exist here as in Athens, 
but the architecture is the same, and I find again all 


82 


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the marks of Grecian art. The palaces and temples 
have their colonnaded porticoes, copies of the Par- 
thenon and of the Temple of Theseus. The great 
door of the citadel facing toward the sea is formed 
by high pillars, imitations of those of the Propulsea. 

In the theatre, with white marble steps rising upon 
a hill, the CEdipus of Sophocles was played. What a 
drama! And how happy I was to find that I knew 
Greek enough to really enjoy this incomparable poem, 
given by the best of actors. The island is joined to 
the main land by a pier, and we find Greece every- 
where, Greece, mother of all the arts and of all civi- 
lization. 

I did not fail to see the fountain of the Nymph 
Arethusa. It is limpid and beautiful. Tufts of pa- 
pyrus float upon it, and red fishes bathe in it. But 
the nymph was far more lovely, and I hold it against 
Diana for having changed her into a fountain for the 
simple crime of wanting to please the river Alpheus. 
Our vessel put into port for several hours at Acragas, 
which Virgil only casually salutes, because in the time 
of ^Eneas it was not the city of great Grecian temples 
it is to-day. It is not a rich and flourishing town like 
Syracuse, but is admirably situated on a height over- 
looking the sea ; bound around by 'powerful ramparts, 
above the walls rises a forest of marble columns sup- 
porting the fagades of its numberless temples, pre- 
senting a vista of incomparable beauty. On seeing 
this grouping of architectural wonders I was as 
strongly impressed as at the sight of the Athenian 
Acropolis two years ago. It is really splendid, and 


THE COAST OF SICILY 


83 


after the Parthenon I know of nothing more beautiful. 
The temples of Juno, of Hercules, of Esculapius, of 
Jupiter, and of Leda, of Castor and Pollux and of 
Concord are all gathered together inside the ramparts 
and in sight of the sea. Behind the temples the city 
rises like an amphitheatre up to the summit of the 
mountain, which forms the Acropolis, but which has 
nothing monumental about it, its only beauty being 
its marvelous site. 

We climbed there and admired its most picturesque 
points of view. At our feet lies the fortified city with 
its temples, theatres, palaces and tombs which touch 
the interior line of ramparts. Afar off is the blue sea 
with its limitless horizon. 

Then, we came down again to the temples which in 
their beauty held us for hours. The more time given 
to detail, the more one’s admiration grows. The 
Corinthian fluting, the sculptured frieze, the metopes, 
and the leafy lace-like capitals, the noble pose of the 
statues, the harmonious drawing of the reliefs, every- 
thing is ravishing. Alas, all these beautiful monu- 
ments of the ancient faith are deserted and in ruins. 
It is the end of the beautiful civilization of the Hel- 
lenes; they have lost their power. Their faith is ex- 
tinct and decadence has fallen on their art and letters. 
Greece, in her greatness is dying. 


84 


THE CENTURION 


IV 

IN CARTHAGE 

W E know now by experience, oh, my Mother, 
all the vicissitudes of navigation. We were 
about to set sail for Alexandria, when a frightful tem- 
pest overtook us. iW e were the victims of its violence 
during the entire night. At daybreak our skillful pilot 
was able to hoist a little sail and directed our ship 
through a narrow entrance into a spacious bay. 

It is the port of Carthage. As you see, my Mother, 
we are far from our route. But we are forced to 
submit to the inconstancy of the sea and its winds, and 
thus in looking for Alexandria we have found Car- 
thage. I am tempted to thank the gods for it, now 
that the tempest has passed. Carthage is, as you 
know, much older than our Rome. It was a flourish- 
ing colony of Tyre when ^neas bade farewell to the 
still smoking ruins of Troy, setting sail for the banks 
of Latium, where he was to become the great ancestor 
of the Romans. 

Juno, whom Virgil represents as being cruel and 
jealous, loved Carthage better than all the cities of the 
world, without even excepting Samos. But she knew 
the Sibylline oracles predicted the destruction of 
Carthage by a people, issue of the Trojan race, for 
whom she nourished an implacable hatred. For this 
reason she pursued the unfortunate ^neas with her 
hatred and made use of every means in her power 


IN CARTHAGE 85 

to prevent his reaching our shores where he was to 
lay the foundation of Rome. 

It is this epic combat of divinity against simple 
mortal that forms the subject of Virgil’s admirable 
poem, and you will remember, Mother, in the begin- 
ning, the poet describes an appalling tempest which as- 
sailed the fleet of ^neas after it had left the shores 
of Sicily. Old ^olus had placed the most violent 
subjects of his kingdom at the service of Juno; Aquilo 
and Notus came to her aid. The unhappy Trojans 
saw their vessels disabled and dispersed and at last 
were saved only by the intervention of Neptune, to 
whom belongs the empire of the seas, who had not at 
first noticed how the children of tEoIus troubled his 
domain. On the coast of Libya, not far from Car- 
thage, the Trojan hero found a harbor where he could 
gather his vessels together. 

Well, my Mother, we, too, withstood a terrible 
tempest, and it was only by taking refuge in the port 
of Carthage that we were saved from shipwreck. 
Can it be that Juno still cherishes her resentment to the 
Latin descendants ? I hope not, since Jupiter has pre- 
dicted that the irascible goddess will in time be ap- 
peased and end by protecting the Romans. However 
that may be, we have proved that the description of 
the tempest imagined by Virgil is not exaggerated 
and are happy to have found the same harbor as 
^neas. 

Carthage! What historical and even poetic mem- 
ories this name recalls. Virgil’s hero almost failed 


86 


THE CENTURION 


in his mission here. It was the scene of his love for 
Dido, who had founded the city. Had he not torn 
himself away from his culpable love, he would not 
have fulfilled his destiny and Rome, perhaps, would 
never have existed. But so tend the events of this 
world. How different its destiny had its great gen- 
iuses always fulfilled the missions received from the 
gods 1 Carthage, Rome’s chief rival ! Had Hannibal 
had strength to tear himself away from the delights of 
Capua, as ^neas from the seductions of Dido, Car- 
thage herself would have become mistress of the 
world. Terrible were those Punic wars lasting over 
a hundred years! How glorious for us Romans to 
recall the dramatic history of Regulus and the exploits 
of the two Scipios! Barely two centuries ago our 
army destroyed Carthage; but it was to rebuild it, 
and you could not imagine, Mother mine, the magnifi- 
cence of the new city. 

Caius Gracchus had reconstructed it but up to the 
time of Julius Caesar, it was only a little colonial town. 
Caesar and Augustus restored, enlarged and embel- 
lished it. To-day it rivals imperial Rome in its riches 
and the proportions of its public monuments, through 
its temples, its baths, its amphitheatre and its vast por- 
ticoes. 

More fortunate than ^neas, we find here a second 
native land, and we see everywhere the great deeds 
of our own ancestors graven on their monuments. 
Unfortunately it imitates not only our arts and archi- 
tecture, but copies our morals and unbridled luxuries. 
Our vices transplanted to this African soil under a 


BIBLICAL IDYLS 


87 


fiery sun, enervate and soften the colonists and will 
produce in them decadence more rapid than in us if 
the child of the gods whom Virgil has promised does 
not come to save us. Here corruption is more un- 
governable than in Rome and religion cannot suffi- 
ciently bridle it. 

Where, then, will we find the religious beliefs of 
ancient times. Faith remains young, it is said, in the 
Jewish people alone. I am most anxious to discover 
if this be true, de visu. 


V 


BIBLICAL IDYLS 



FTER our departure from Carthage, we had an- 


JLA. other day and night of storm, but this morn- 
ing “ Neptune has appeased the wrath of the sea, dis- 
sipated the clouds and recalled the sun.’’ We drift 
along past the coast of Libya in a dead calm which 
has great charm, but our oarsmen are weary, though 
they relieve each other at intervals of three hours, and 
our progress is slow. They complain of the heat, 
which is, however, very pleasant for us who do noth- 
ing but watch the horizon, chat and read. 

The younger Gamaliel, of whom I have already 
spoken, constantly seeks our society. Intimacies are 
established quickly on board ship, where informality is 
inevitable. We have long talks about history, litera- 
ture and the religion of his country. I find it both 
curious and interesting. He reads for me number- 


88 


THE CENTURION 


less pages of a Greek translation of the “ Scriptures/’ 
which are the sacred books of his people. This trans- 
lation is the work of seventy-two scholars gathered 
together by Ptolemy Philadelphus in Alexandria more 
than two centuries ago. I understand Greek per- 
fectly, as thou knowest, Mother, and take great interest 
in this reading. 

My pleasant traveling companion said to me to-day, 
“ You have revealed the eclogues of Virgil to me, 
let me tell you of some of our biblical poems. For 
our Scriptures ” are not only books of history, 
morals and religion, they contain most beautiful 
poems, especially lyric ones.” 

Is it in form as well as style that your poetry is 
distinguished from prose ? ” 

“ Certainly ; we have Hebrew verse> just as you have 
Latin verse, and the characters which distinguish it 
from prose are metre and parallelism. This last char- 
acteristic trait does not exist in the poetry of the Latins, 
any more than it does in Greek verse, and while it is 
not apparent in the translations, is easily to be felt in 
the Hebrew text.” 

Gamaliel reads well and knows how to bring out 
the beauty of these biblical poems. I love the pas- 
sages which he quotes from the Book of Job, the 
Psalms of King David, Proverbs, the Books of Wis- 
dom and Ecclesiasticus. Most of the prophets have 
written in verse, and there are in Isaias, Jeremias and 
Ezekiel, poetical inspiration of incomparable beauty 
and aspiration surpassing all that our own poets have 
written. 


BIBLICAL IDYLS 


89 


The poem of Job is a sombre drama wherein cries 
of pain and desperation alternate with prayer and a 
plaint of resignation. The Psalms are hymns to Je- 
hovah, praising His power, His justice. His goodness 
and His great works scattered throughout all creation. 
In the poems of Solomon beautiful lessons of moral- 
ity and wisdom evidence in their author vast experi- 
ence of life. Among the Jewish prose writings 
many pages are found full of poetry. 

Gamaliel read me a delicious idyl entitled the Book 
of Ruth. Nothing is more touching in simplicity and 
grace than the history of this ideal gleaner, come from 
Moab, who, following the harvesters of Boaz, gath- 
ered the grain they dropped and finished by gleaning 
the heart of the Master. Boaz was enchanted and 
married her, and thus the beautiful Moabite became 
mother of Obed and ancestress of King David. 
‘‘ They even say,’’ added Gamaliel, that Jesus of 
Nazareth is one of his descendants.” 

To-day Gamaliel recited (for he knows it by heart) 
the Canticle of Canticles. The sky was of an unblem- 
ished azure, and never did the sea appear more beauti- 
ful. Under the red reflection of the setting sun, it was 
bathed in glimmering light. A gentle breeze filled the 
sails of the Nauticaa ” and we glided slowly across 
the little fiery waves into the great Circus of Neptune. 
Rosy clouds gathered in the north in disquieting 
fashion. They would soon become black when the 
sun disappeared, but in the meantime were beautiful 
along the horizon. 

What an enchanting calm,” I said to Gamaliel, 


90 


THE CENTURION 


in this empty immensity which surrounds us, and 
what sweet solitude 1 ’’ 

“ Solitude is only a word,’^ answered Gamaliel. 

It exists absolutely and completely nowhere. The 
desert is shadowed with caravans and scattered with 
oases full of life. The sea is ploughed by vessels, and 
its depths are peopled with living beings who form 
the families of Nomad tribes. The Heavens are peo- 
pled with planets, which are drawn toward each other 
and meet, with nebulous farnilies or swarms of stars 
which seek a corner in space where they can accom- 
plish their destiny and re-create new worlds. You see 
that absolute solitude cannot exist.” 

You do not complain of this? ” 

“ Certainly not. I like neither noise nor crowds, 
but I like a solitude of two.” 

‘‘ It seems when I watch the heavens on these beau- 
tiful summer nights that the stars are pupils of mys- 
terious eyes, and their looks are sweet and sympa- 
thetic.” 

I like yours better.” 

I looked down and went to lean on the edge of the 
rail. Gamaliel followed me, and we looked out over 
the waves to admire the sparkling path made by our 
ship. 

You see,” said Gamaliel, this pretty garland of 
white flowers that we scatter behind us, I would like 
to gather it into a crown for your lovely head.” 

I must have looked a little surprised but did not 
answer. Then he unfolded the Canticle of Canti- 
cles,” and said, — 


BIBLICAL IDYLS 


91 


This poem is a song of love : or rather it is a pas- 
sionate colloquy between two persons whom Solomon 
calls ‘ the Well-Beloveds/ What names are hidden 
under this sweet title, whose alternate voices sing the 
duet of love? I do not know, and my father teaches 
that one must attach an allegorical sense to the burn- 
ing words which these two address one to the other.” 

Then Gamaliel recited for me with an enthusiasm 
which I shared the admirable poem of Solomon. I 
made no observation, and for a long time we remained 
silent. 

‘‘If this beautiful poetry makes you dumb,” said I 
at last, “ you had better study the Book of Wisdom.” 

Gamaliel barely smiled, and remained plunged in 
deep reverie. His eyes were fixed on the far-away 
shores of Libya which cast a long streamer of dark 
blue on the horizon. 

“Of what are you dreaming? ” I asked. 

Gamaliel hesitated a moment and then said, — 

“ I dream of all the unexpected in human existence 
and ask if it happen by chance or through a providence. 
I admire the immensity which surrounds us, this in- 
finity which seems very empty and in which I had ex- 
pected to find complete isolation. Nevertheless it is 
the unexpected that comes to me. On these narrow 
planks that hold us, I am not alone, I feel less alone 
with you, than in the circle of friends surrounding me 
when I went to dream my dreams on the Palatine 
Hill. What is this mysterious current that draws us 
across the world, causing two beings, who, in the 
natural order would have been forever separated, to 


92 


THE CENTURION 


start from different points of the far-away horizon 
and come to their meeting place in the middle of the 
ocean, led by — who can tell — what unknown force ? 
Are we the playthings of chance, or is there a Sover- 
eign Master who directs our destinies without our 
knowledge, and whose decrees we blindly obey ? And 
if this Master exist, are we His instruments to such an 
extent, that we cannot even order our own sentiments ? 
You know, Camilla, that I am a Jew, that I love my 
country better than all the world. When I left it, my 
heart was full of hatred for Rome, and this hatred 
grew in the midst of the Jews who lived there. And 
for you I had also, when I saw you first on the deck of 
the ‘‘ Nauticaa ’’ a feeling of repulsion, which seemed 
uncontrollable because you are a Roman. And now, 
why should I not tell you ? I do not know what sym- 
pathetic impulse drew me to you, and when I try to 
explain it to myself I am obliged to acknowledge that I 
could even love Rome were Rome like you.’^ 

I had lowered my eyes and a long silence followed. 
I felt that he was still looking at me, and I did not 
know what to say. When I finally spoke it was to 
ask him the cause of his hatred for Rome. 

I will not tell you to-day,’’ answered Gamaliel, 
I am afraid of hurting you.” 

‘‘ I do not understand the meaning of hatred,” said 
I, ‘‘neither that of individuals nor nations. And I 
want all my friends to be friends of my country.” 

A great wave breaking over the deck warned us 
that the wind had risen and put an end to our conver- 
sation. 


ALEXANDRIA 


93 


VI 

ALEXANDRIA 

H ere I am at last, on this Oriental shore I have 
so wanted to see, and with absorbing interest 
I roam the streets of this great Egyptian city. I say 
Egyptian, but it is rather Greek or Greco-Roman; for 
though its population is Egyptian, its arts and its 
letters are Greek, and its political and military govern- 
ment is Roman. It emulates Rome in its magnificence 
and, like all great colonial cities, has its pro-consul, sen- 
ators, magistrates, and great dignitaries, likewise its 
baths, temples, circus and theatres. 

Its learning and its schools rival those of Rome, 
and it possesses great libraries of manuscripts, the 
largest of which, containing seven hundred and fifty 
thousand volumes, was unfortunately burned at the 
time of Julius Caesar, but Anthony repaired this loss 
in part by giving two hundred thousand manuscripts 
to Queen Cleopatra. 

This celebrated name recalls many historical memo- 
ries to my mind; though our great Romans did not 
play as glorious a role here as they did at Carthage. 
Pompey, Caesar, Anthony were bewitched each in his 
turn by this enchantress, and it was not without deep 
emotion that I first saw the shores which bore testi- 
mony to the tragic death of these two powerful men, 
Pompey and Anthony, who might have been the glory 
of their country and who were lost through love! 

Octavius himself narrowly escaped being ensnared by 
7 


94 


THE CENTURION 


the charms of this siren, and, had he succumbed, we 
would not have had “ Augustus Imperator.” What a 
strange power is love ! What ruin it can work when 
wrongly used! Even the founder of Alexandria was 
not proof against its seductions! But what a great 
man he was! I sometimes wonder if our Caesar ever 
equalled him. His colossal ambition, never satisfied, 
was the cause of his downfall. In twelve years he 
became Master of the world. But he still sought to 
enlarge his vast empire and had not yet turned over 
to the government all his conquered lands when he 
died, at the age of thirty-three. 

The Egyptian quarter of Alexandria is the ancient 
village of “ Rakotis,’^ where decayed remnants of the 
people of the Pharaohs are still found. An old 
ruined temple of Serapis dominates the other edifices. 

The modern part is the city of palaces in the center 
of which rises the ** Brucheon with its beautiful col- 
onnade of Grecian architecture. Several thousand 
palaces with as many baths and hundreds of theatres, 
temples to the Greek and Roman gods, monuments, 
statues, obelisks and race-courses make Alexandria a 
great city, surrounded as it is by walls and towers. 

A new civilization succeeded that formerly repre- 
sented by Heliopolis, Memphis and Thebes, with their 
gigantic and astonishing ruins. Ptolemy Philadelphus 
and his successors, who reigned over Egypt for three 
centuries after Alexander the Great, were the fathers 
of this African Greece, and even the Rome of to-day 
is their achievement. 


ALEXANDRIA 


95 


There is also a large Jewish quarter in Alexandria, 
and my friend Gamaliel was of great service to us 
when we visited it. Its appearance is wretched, as is 
the Ghetto of Rome, but the greater number of money 
lenders are there as well as the richest of the bazaars. 
Here the Hellenic language rather than Hebrew is 
spoken. The University and its vast library inter- 
ested us particularly. Gamaliel showed us the orig- 
inal manuscripts of the Grecian translation of the Holy 
Jewish Books, called “ The Version of the Seventy.'^ 
The Jews have the greatest veneration for this trans- 
lation, which they believe to have been inspired by 
Jehovah, and their teaching is that the seVenty-two 
Jewish scholars to whom they attribute it worked 
separately and yet, by a miracle, their translations were 
identical. 

At the University, Gamaliel presented a Greek of 
great distinction to us, an eloquent Hellenic scholar, 
who embraced Judaism several years ago. He emi- 
grated from Athens to Jerusalem and became a dis- 
ciple of Gamaliel, the ancient and doctor in Israel. 
For several months he has worked here on a transla- 
tion of the Five Books of Moses in the Chaldaic lan- 
guage. Onkelos — this is his name — is of a fine 
Grecian type, speaking Latin, Hebrew and Chaldaic 
well. He told us that he was returning to Jerusalem 
to assure himself of the truth of the rumor that the 
Messiah had made His appearance in Galilee. He 
decided to travel with us, and we are delighted, be- 
cause he knows and speaks so well of many things. 


96 


THE CENTURION 


Gamaliel and he will come with us to visit Heliopo- 
lis and Memphis, and we could have no better trav- 
eling companions. 


VH 

HELIOPOLIS 

W E went up the Nile in our boat as far as Heli- 
opolis, the trip lasting one long day. It 
would have been longer if we had not the help of a 
strong north wind to fill our sails. Our ten oarsmen 
were happy to rest and sing hymns to Ra, the Sun- 
God: 

“All homage to thee, Ra, 

Mummy, whose youth is constantly renewed, 

Who is born again unto all time. 

Homage, to thee, Ra.” 

“Who dartest rays of life to beings of intelligence. 

Homage to thee as thou encirclest the firmament. 

The Gods who accompany thee, shout out for joy, 

Oh, beneficent, resplendent, flaming one! 

Those who are never affrighted, armed with long oars 
Manoeuvre thy barque. 

All Heaven is in ecstasy. 

All earth is in joy, 

To render glory to Ra-Karmakhis, 

When they see him rise in his boat.” . . . 

.These songs were translated into Greek for us by 
Onkelos, and while listening to their monotonous mel- 
ody, we drifted rapidly, now past the waving grain 
along the banks and now under the shade of the palm 


HELIOPOLIS 


97 

trees. We appreciated the palm leaves above us for 
their protection against the rays of the terrible Ra. 

I was anxious to see the City of the Sun, Heliopolis, 
because formerly it was one of the greatest religious 
capitals of Egypt. I questioned Onkelos on the relig- 
ion of the Egyptians. It is nebulous,’’ he an- 
swered, “ and in the fullness of decadence. In the 
beginning, this people unquestionably believed in one 
God, and that God was the Sun. But the number- 
less nomes or provinces which composed this country 
gave him different names and worshiped him under 
diverse forms. Thus in certain nomes he was called 
‘ Phtah ’ or ‘ Ra,’ and in other provinces ‘ Hor,’ 
‘ Atoum,’ ‘ Thot,’ ‘ Osiris.’ These gods at the 
same time assumed different shapes and hid them- 
selves in the bodies of animals, so that this worship 
was carried on in honor of the ‘ Scarab of Phtah ’ 
the ' Ibis of Thot,’ the ‘ Hawk of Ho,’ and the 
‘ Jackal of Anubis,’ the ‘ Bull of Hapi,’ the * Phoe- 
nix,’ the ^ Crocodile,’ the ‘ Serpent.’ But there are 
no longer any believers in these degrading divinities.” 

“ I understand that all this grotesque mythology, 
which did not even have a poetic side as has our own, 
has fallen into disfavor. But their one God, the Sun, 
still exists, and how beautiful he is.” 

“ That is true,” returned Onkelos, “ nevertheless, 
he, too, will soon disappear.” 

As he spoke the sun hid itself behind the mountains 
of Libya, its last rays gilding a forest of obelisks 
which slowly rose to our left over the sandy plain. 
It was the City of the Sun. Alas, but a mass of rub- 


98 


THE CENTURION 


bish ! Its countless obelisks, each one of which recalls 
a destroyed temple have remained standing together 
with part of the fortifications. The most majestic of 
its ruins is the great Temple of the Sun, which was 
the glory of the celebrated city. The walls are cracked 
and crumbling, but the colonnade, the architrave and 
the porch still exist. The three hundred and sixty- 
five statues which adorned it and which were over- 
thrown and broken thirty years ago have not been 
replaced. This is a strange story. 

One day, while the priests of the Sun were offer- 
ing their sacrifices to the gods, a terrible earthquake 
shook all the temple, and the symbolical statues repre- 
senting the three hundred and sixty-five days of the 
solar year were dashed from their pedestals and shat- 
tered. On running out expecting to see some fright- 
ful cataclysm of nature, the priests found all calm 
and serene; nowhere else had been felt the terrific 
shock which the temple had experienced. Only a 
family of poor travelers could be seen passing through 
the street on which the temple faced. It consisted 
of a woman mounted upon an ass carrying a child in 
her arms and of a man walking behind armed with a 
long staff which served to spur the animal and to 
sustain his own weary footsteps. 

The peaceful and inoffensive travelers crossed the 
city and stopped a mile from the gates under the 
shadow of a great sycamore. The man, who was a 
Jewish carpenter, built himself a little home with the 
branches of trees and lived there two years with his 
wife and child. Living in isolation, they were the 


HELIOPOLIS 


99 


most peaceful people in the world. The woman was 
young and very beautiful and her child was her own 
image. Many legends and strange stories are told 
about them. One thing is certain, there was no water 
on this spot, and with the coming of this family a 
limpid and abundant stream which still flows sprung 
from the ground. 

After two years spent in their leafy shelter under 
the old sycamore, which was shown me, the strange 
family resumed its journey across the desert in the 
direction of the country of the Jews and never re- 
turned to the land of the Pharaohs. 

Tell me, you who are a scholar,^’ I asked Onkelos, 
“did you know this story? 

“ Yes, I heard it several years ago, and many of the 
Nazareans connect this fact with the childhood of 
their prophet. They appear to remember that his 
family made a journey into Egypt about thirty years 
ago, and it was at the moment of the passing of this 
Child, whom they believe to be the Messiah, that the 
false divinities of the Temple of the Sun were thrown 
down. The Child was perhaps a little more than two 
years of age when his family returned from the 
country of the Pharaohs and took up their residence 
at Nazareth. But to me it all seems legendary.’' 


100 


THE CENTURION 


VIII 

MEMPHIS 

F rom Heliopolis we went on to Memphis, ancient 
capital of the Egyptian empire, to-day, like 
Heliopolis, in ruins. It is the great cemetery of primi- 
tive Egypt and consequently the City of pyramids. 
The first Pharaohs had the mania of wishing to sleep 
their last sleep under these conical stone mountains, 
which even to-day are marvels. 

We then crossed the Nile, visited the three great 
pyramids of Kheops, of Kephrem, of Menkera, built on 
the borders of the Libyan desert, and the Sphinx, 
always the great insoluble enigma; then turning to 
the south, we directed our way towards Memphis with 
its colossal tombs sharply drawn against the horizon. 

My father and our young friends, Gamaliel and 
Onkelos, rode by my side and seemed an escort for a 
young princess, as I dominated them from the great 
height of my camel. Ah, my dear Mother, what a 
glorious ride ! My traveling companions on their 
shining Arabian horses made fun of my mount, but 
I felt myself above their foolish ridicule. Com- 
fortably seated on the soft purple cushion which cov- 
ered the hump of my enormous camel, I felt as if I 
were on one of the Eastern thrones, and they were my 
humble servants. 

You look like the Queen of Sheba coming to pay 
a visit to Solomon, said Gamaliel. 

With this difference,’’ added Onkelos, that had 


MEMPHIS 


lOI 


Solomon known you, he would have come first to 
visit you ! 

In the desert I like a camel better than a horse. My 
father, who is always so good to me yielded to my 
caprice and gave me the mount of my choice. It is 
the ship of the desert which is like an ocean and indeed 
which rocks like one. At first it is rather upsetting, 
but after becoming accustomed to it, the hump of the 
animal seems like the cupola of an observatory from 
which to admire the horizon. It is generally thought 
that there is no horizon in the desert, but this is a 
mistake. To have before one’s eyes the immensity 
of the sands and at a hazy distance a blue zone re- 
sembling the sea, to discover here and there islands 
which rise up and gradually transform themselves 
into forests of palm-trees, to see the long line of 
caravans, or herds on the sandy fields, in a mirage 
which changes and gives them the proportions of 
monstrous antediluvians, to see the resplendent sun 
shining over white tents like wings of giant swans, 
to climb, or encircle mountains of red granite or pink 
quartz, to perceive all at once a fountain or a mon- 
umental tomb or a temple to Tot ” or Phtah ” with 
high pillars and enormous colonnades with capitals of 
lotus-leaves; these are some of the horizon’s varieties, 
each of which in turn charmed my eyes along the 
way. 

And into what exquisite reveries this slow and 
monotonous travel plunges one! Nowhere else and 
never have I so deeply felt the charm of great solitude 
and the profound recollection inspired by the presence 


102 


THE CENTURION 


of living beings in the midst of dead things! To be 
only a short distance from a great city of past cen- 
turies and to have in spite of this the sensation of 
limitless proportion, of a desert without end, of cease- 
less repose, of permanent silence, is a state of soul 
whose quiet and sweetness I love. 

Sometimes one sees shadows spreading across the 
burning sands, they are fleeting clouds which pass be- 
fore the sun. Sometimes I have the sensation that 
it is all a dream and that I am going to awaken. But, 
no; my dream is a reality. These camels of whose 
continuous motion we become a part, and whose heads 
move without stopping, like the prow of a boat upon 
the waves, are very much alive, and their tired gait 
announces that they will be happy to lie down to rest 
at the next stopping place. 

It is the real picture of our voyage through life. 
We are nomads upon an earth which is a desert, and 
we only camp here until the time comes for us to 
make our last halt for that night from which there 
shall be no awakening. And we grope along in the 
midst of things which shall remain and continue to 
live when we shall have entered into death, and which 
shall continue to be dead when we shall have entered 
into life by the door of this same death. The desert 
is not death; it is the absence of life. It seems as 
if creation here had not yet begun. It is chaos in 
course of construction, and in this chaos we are the 
frail ambulating dwellings, enlightened and vivified by 
the spirit. 

What shall I tell you. Mother, of the colossal ruins 


MEMPHIS 


103 


of Memphis? How shall I describe for you the 
‘‘ Serapeum ’’ and the Mastaba of Thi,” and the 
** Colossus of Rameses the Second ’’ and the avenues 
of sphinxes as well as the eleven great pyramids? 
The antiquity of all these monuments, ranging from 
fifteen to twenty and thirty centuries in age, their 
enormous proportions, their massive and simple 
architecture, throw me into a stupor. I remain 
speechless in the presence of these wonders whose 
history I should love to know. I have been saddened 
by the contrast which these great ruins — the work of 
men — present with the eternal youth of nature. 
Amid the vestiges of ancient Memphis and the monu- 
mental pyramids where unknown Pharaohs sleep, life 
still exists. There is a forest of palm trees always 
green which shades the borders of a little sacred lake. 
Wild fowl skirt the shore, while on the bank, the pale 
Ibis and pink flamingoes perched on their long legs 
as if on stilts appear to sleep their last sleep. What 
are their dreams, as they stand there in a stillness so 
like death? What strange visions pass before their 
half closed eyes to fascinate them! 


IX 

ON BOARD THE “ GAZELLE ’’ 

O NCE again we have put to sea in a Phoenician 
galley called the Gazelle ” and we float along 
the coast of the ancient country of the Philistines. 
Night falls and the moon rises slowly in a serene sky. 


104 


THE CENTURION 


There is not a breath of wind, and our sails are 
furled. The song of the rowers is hushed and only 
the cadenced sound of the oars reaches our ears. Our 
friends Gamaliel and Onkelos travel with us, and I 
question them ceaselessly on the prodigious history 
of the Jewish people. What they tell me is extraor- 
dinary. The blue coast disappearing behind us at 
our right is the country of the Philistine giants, the 
theatre of their hundred years’ war upon Israel, which 
finally vanquished them. 

Marvellous are the adventures of one of these 
Judges of Israel, a giant called Samson. Our friends 
showed us the places on the Coast where the colossal 
Jew had accomplished his most extraordinary exploits, 
Gaza, Ascalon and Lechi. Wonderful deeds of 
prowess where one man alone fought against thou- 
sands ! 

After a silence I again questioned Onkelos about the 
religious state of Egypt, and he answered : ‘‘ The 

gods of Egypt are dead as are those of Greece and 
Rome, and the powerful nation itself which produced 
so many astounding works along the banks of the Nile 
has also died.” 

“ But are not the gods immortal ? ” 

‘‘ No. God, the one God, cannot die, but the gods 
who are only figures of human creation are not im- 
mortal.” 

If they be but fiction, if they have no real exist- ^ 
ence, can it be said that they die ? ” 

They die in man’s belief.” 

“ What matter, then, that men believe no longer in 


ON BOARD THE “ GAZELLE 


gods who are fictions ? In losing faith they simply rid 
themselves of error/^ 

“ Yes, but they fall into deeper error by no longer 
believing/’ 

You think, then, that it is better to have a false 
religion than none at all ? ” 

“ Yes, provided one be in good faith. Because after 
all religion in any form is always homage to the 
Divinity. God wishes to be honored by man, and, 
whether men call him ‘ Phtah,’ as do the Egyptians, 
or ‘ Zeus ’ as do the Greeks, or ‘ Jupiter,’ as the 
Romans, or ‘Javeh,’ as do the Jews, and the wor- 
ship offered Him be as varied as the names by which 
He is called, if it be sincere and honestly believed 
to be the true faith, it is acceptable to Him. In the 
beginning, all nations believed in one God alone, and 
worshiped Him wth sincerity, but the false learning 
of some and the passions of others have altered primi- 
tive beliefs and multiplied the forms of divine wor- 
ship. While this was done in good faith with the 
object of honoring the Divinity, religion was still 
meritorious in the eyes of God. But when it took for 
its object unrestrained indulgence of evil passions, the 
gods became a mockery, and the extinction of faith 
led the nations into decadence. This is the lesson of 
history. Primitive religion, founded on ancient reve- 
lation, on tradition and the laws of nature, degen- 
erated, but for a long time retained enough of virtue 
and truth to maintain these nations strong and glorious, 
like Greece and Rome. Rome could rise no higher, 
but should have been able to maintain herself on the 


io6 THE CENTURION 

glorious summit she had reached. But her decadence 
has begun and is very rapid. Who will stop it? No 
one, because the religious faith of Rome is dying. 
Jehovah Himself appears to have abandoned His 
chosen people because they forget and neglect to serve 
Him. The Jew is dispersed throughout the world; 
he no longer has a home, and had he not still his 
Temple, would be but the shadow of a nation. Where 
then does the world tend? What will be the end of 
these tattered nations conquered by Rome? What 
does the future hold for this mistress of the universe 
herself? What destiny awaits her? ” 

My father then said, Its destiny is to return to 
its primitive virtue. It is not possible that this im- 
mense empire, embracing the whole civilized world, 
was created to remain submissive to such sovereigns 
as Tiberius.’’ 

‘‘ Precisely,” answered Onkelos, and that is why 
the world expects a Master who will reconstruct it 
upon another basis, because the vast Roman edifice, 
such as it is, is not made to endure. It was built by 
violence, by cruel wars and by the destruction of other 
nations. The Master who is to come will gather up 
these remnants, will raise these ruins and from the 
shattered temples He will build an immense and unique 
Temple where every race will come to do homage to 
Him who created the universe.” 

‘‘ But He who created the universe is none other 
than Jehovah,” said Gamaliel. 

“ Yes, but the world needs a Jehovah who will be 


ON BOARD THE “ GAZELLE 


107 

better known, better understood, and a larger Temple 
in which there will be room for all humanity/^ 

“And on whom do you count?” asked Gamaliel, 
“to make the world better understand Jehovah? 
What architect greater than those of Solomon do you 
expect to enlarge God’s Temple and 'give it the pro- 
portions of this Roman empire which embraces the 
universe ? ” 

“ I expect Him whom the prophets have promised 
us. The ideal is not in the past, it is in the future; 
the sorrows of the world show its need of a man who 
shall be the incarnation of this ideal.” 

“ In fact,” said I, “ you expect Him whom you call 
the Messiah? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ And it is He who will regenerate the world ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

In this manner speaks Onkelos, my Mother, and thou 
canst imagine what interest I take in this conversa- 
tion. He speaks classical Greek, and Socrates him- 
self could not have been more eloquent teaching 
philosophy to his disciples. 

Day follows day, each different from the other. 
After an ideal night, a dark and dreary day forces 
itself as a reality upon us. Masses of clouds coming 
from nowhere gather in the west and have formed 
themselves into a chain of black mountains but these 
mountains are moving towards the zenith like an army 
ranged in battle assailing a formidable citadel. 
Again it is like a great grey fringed curtain, lifted 


io8 


THE CENTURION 


by a hand invisible and powerful! Soon the curtain 
spread and covered the sun, the calm sea took on the 
color and polish of slate. Frightened birds flew with 
lowered wings across the waves. A light wind 
ruffled the ocean’s surface, the breeze then grew into 
a tempest, the waves broke high and the hurricane 
burst forth. A sail they tried to raise was carried out 
to sea with its mast. The useless oars were drawn 
in and the vessel driven by the tempest drifted far 
from the shores to open sea. Floods from the sky 
met those of the waves inundating the deck which 
floated between them. The elements were unchained. 
The terror and disorder on board were indescribable, 
and for two hours we thought we would perish. 

Must we pray to the gods and to which ones ? ” 
I asked Onkelos. 

“ Pray to the unknown God,” he answered, ‘‘ He is 
the only one no longer doubted in Greece and who 
is believed in a little everywhere.” 

At last the storm became more calm, and the quieter 
sea permitted the rowers to take up their oars and the 
pilot to direct the vessel. When night came we 
reached the shores of Samaria and resumed our con- 
versation on the subject of the expected God, who is 
for us as for the Greeks the Unknown God.” 

To-morrow at daybreak we will be in Caesarea. 


C^SAREA 


109 


X 

C^SAREA 

G ^SAREA is entirely a new city. As its name 
indicates, it dates back only to the epoch of 
Caesar Augustus and it is in honor of this great man 
that its founder, Herod, so called it. At first there 
was but a Phoenician village here and a tower called 
the Tower of Straton, which marked the entrance into 
a little bay which served as harbor. But it was in- 
sufficient protection in the storms so frequent on these 
shores. Herod Agrippa built at first a long pier which 
partly closed the bay and transformed it into a more 
spacious and stronger port. Then he built a temple 
dedicated to Augustus, a theatre and amphitheatre, 
aqueducts and a superb palace as a residence for him- 
self. The members of his court, his officers, priests, 
magistrates and notables of the kingdom, little by 
little gathered about him and built themselves houses 
and more or less elaborate villas. 

The Roman procurator has a residence in Csesarea 
and rich Jewish and Greek merchants come to spend 
the winter here in the country, because the climate is 
softer than on the mountains of Judea, where Jeru- 
salem is built. In a few years the Phoenician village 
has thus become an attractive city, which King Herod 
has completed by surrounding it with a wall and erect- 
ing a fortress on one of its rocks which faces the sea 
and commands the port. 

This, then, is the city where we found Pilate and 


no 


THE CENTURION 


Claudia, who were expecting us. Their villa is well 
placed on the summit of a hill which commands a 
vast horizon over harbor and sea. Sheltered on the 
north by a forest of olive and Egyptian fig trees of 
enormous size, and on the east by the mountains of 
Samaria, it has a pleasant climate and a great deal 
of light and sun after the sixth hour of the day. The 
garden is immense; hedges of myrtle and rosemary 
divide it; coppices of Barbary fig trees surround and 
guard it against thieves. Flowering orange groves, 
rose laurels, lavender, fennel and wall flowers shed 
their fragrance everywhere. 

The city, situated on a gentle slope half hidden 
by its rich southern vegetation, leans towards the sea 
on the west, and the fortifications which crown its 
heights and shut off the horizon on the eastern side 
descend toward the cliff. During the second half of 
the day, the light grows intense and the sun’s rays 
are multiplied by the reflecting sea. I often walk with 
Claudia on the Marina. This is the city’s great 
avenue and commands the port. I need hardly re- 
mark that it does not compare in the slightest degree 
with the Via Sacra. It is not bordered like ours 
with palaces, temples, porticoes, colonnades and 
marble arches. It is shaded by great sycamores and 
extends out over a terrace whence the view embraces 
the sea I love so well. Claudia and I spent an hour 
watching this great expanse of blue. Wild with 
joy and light, drunk with its own beauty, it sang 
and danced, bounded, turned and cast on every side 
a scintillating rain of multi-colored drops. From 


C^SAREA 


III 


the waves rose a delicious odor of salt and seaweed 
which stimulated and revived us and a murmuring 
song that enchanted us. There is nothing more 
beautiful than the sea, and I never weary of watch- 
ing it. What is the secret of its charm? Is it the 
lack of visible limitation which appeals to our thirst 
for the infinite? Is it that it offers no obstacle to 
our gaze and pleases us by the suggestion of limitless 
freedom? Is it its unending variety, as changeable 
as human nature? Yes, it must be that for these 
reasons and for many others there is a harmony be- 
tween the sea and our own nature. Like our heart, 
it is vast and has its depths; like our soul, it reflects 
the sky and receives from it its light; like each one 
of us, it has its days of serenity and its days of storm. 
I love it best towards evening, the setting sun then 
traces, to the utmost extremity of the horizon, a 
long triumphal way all paved with flaming golden 
spangles. I say then to myself, this path reaches to 
the mouth of our well-beloved Tiber, and instantly 
my spirit travels along its course up to the City of 
the Seven Hills. I see you again, dear Mother, and 
put my arms around you and tell you all my im- 
pressions of the Orient, so variegated, so alive and so 
original. 


I will sincerely regret having to leave my great 
friend, the sea. I will miss it in Jerusalem, for I 
never weary of its companionship. 

But other interesting scenes await us, for the town 


1 12 


THE CENTURION 


in itself is most picturesque, its people strange and 
life here altogether different from that of any other 
place. You cannot imagine how interested I am in 
this country and its people. I am so well placed to 
observe what passes and for questioning -those who 
can best inform me. I have the good fortune to 
find myself here in an epoch perhaps the most extraor- 
dinary in the history of this country. The Jewish 
people is a nation apart. Its history has little or 
nothing in common with that of other nations. I 
have studied it with avidity ever since I came and 
find it wonderful. It was already old before the 
founding of Rome, its existence running back two 
thousand years. Surrounded by nations more numer- 
ous and more powerful than itself, it lived in isola- 
tion, always fighting for its own government. Its 
victors oppressed and led it into captivity but they 
were never able to assimilate it. It remained itself 
in spite of foreign domination, living its own life, 
keeping its national character intact even in the midst 
of other nations, surviving all catastrophes, rising 
above all defeats, triumphing over reverses and death, 
remaining always upright in the ruins of even older 
civilizations, which had each in turn crushed it. 

For two thousand years, it has believed in one 
only God whom it calls Javeh (Jehovah). When it 
has been faithful to this God, it has triumphed over 
its enemies in a series of prodigies. Every time it 
has abandoned His worship, it has been vanquished, 
chastised, exiled. Its long and terrible experience 
has taught it nothing. Happiness and prosperity have 


C^SAREA 


113 

been the reefs on which it has been wrecked. The 
moment it becomes fortunate, free and powerful, it 
forgets its God. But when it suffers, it returns to 
Him and like the Phoenix is re-born from its own 
ashes. 

Other peoples are directed and governed by men 
of genius and through them achieve glory and great- 
ness. The Jewish people is led by prophet and priest, 
and all its dreams of grandeur and glory rest upon a 
Messiah expected for centuries. When it disap- 
pears as a nation, it persists as a cult and a race. 
Even when it no longer has a country, its patriotism 
lives, because this patriotism is blended with its re- 
ligious belief, its faith in a Messiah, which remains 
alive though all other religions be in decadence. It 
is neither remarkable for its art or science, nor for 
its military prowess, but has a Law which at the 
same time is a Religion, and a Book which it believes 
to be divine and which remains its glory, its consola- 
tion and its hope. 

Its children wander throughout the world, every- 
where erecting great establishments and amassing 
fortunes but never fusing with other peoples. The 
land they inhabit is always a strange land, and their 
only home is Zion, or Jerusalem, with its Temple. 
In the past it believed in its prophets and killed 
them! In the future, it believes in its Messiah, and 
when He shall appear, the prophets announce that 
it will also kill Him. Is this not a strange people? 
And now the question is to know if it be really the 
Messiah who made His appearance in Galilee about 


THE CENTURION 


1 14 

two years ago. Crowds surround Him and proclaim 
Him, but the synagogue and the chief priests, the 
Scribes and Pharisees have declared war against Him 
and seek to put Him to death. There is nothing in 
this war that in any way resembles the combats of 
Caesar, Pompey and Anthony. It is a violent and 
religious war. Claudia and I take such interest in 
it that, were we free, we would soon be among the 
prophet's friends, so great is the sympathy He in- 
spires in us. 


Pilate goes frequently into Jerusalem in discharge 
of his duties and to keep himself in touch with the 
emotional state of the people, who are greatly agitated 
and complain always of the weight of the yoke of 
Rome. 

He himself has begun to be disquieted at the 
popular mental trend on the subject of Messianism. 
He fears intricacies which might involve him in the 
bitter contest of the Jewish priesthood against the 
prophet. For this reason, I think, he has warned us 
to be ready to leave to-morrow for Jerusalem, where 
we expect to spend several months. 

In the evening Claudia proposed that we take a 
little fresh air on the Marina, and we went to sit 
under a great cedar with the sea lapping at our feet. 
The moon slowly descended from the limpid heights 
of the zenith and like a long Roman way, bathed 
in silvery light, her rays traced out the direction of 
Italy. The peaceful waves murmured lovingly to 


IN JERUSALEM 115 

the sands on the shore and left behind a trail of 
foam, white as the phantom of the Sirens. A large 
black galley came to cast anchor, and great boats 
filled with returning travelers floated to the cadenced 
accompaniment of oars and the song of rowers. 
These were Jews, for they sang the psalms of their 
great poet, David, songs full of sadness and har- 
mony, recalling the sufferings of their ancestors while 
in captivity in Babylon. They have been translated 
into Latin ; here is the first verse : 

Super flumina Babylonis 
Illic sedimus et flevimus 
Cum recordaremur Sion.^’ 

“On the banks of the rivers of Babylon 
We were seated, and we wept 
While recalling to ourselves Jerusalem.” 


XI 

IN JERUSALEM 

H ere I am in Jerusalem and I want to tell thee, 
oh. Mother, without waiting longer, how won- 
derful is this city, and how deeply its appearance 
has impressed me. I had heard so much about it, 
had read its description and still had not the faintest 
idea of it because it is unlike any other place in the 
world. 

It is less the city of a people and of a race, than 
of a religion. Its Temple is its glory and its beauty. 
It commands it, eclipses it, is its base and its apex. 


THE CENTURION 


ii6 

Its foundations are driven deep into Mount Moriah. 
Crossing the threshold of the great city, and on leaving 
it, the Temple can be seen from every spot shimmering 
above the walls and towers. 

We arrived by the road from Samaria, and when 
Jerusalem appeared through a gap in the mountains, 
I thought it was the vision of a dream — a magic 
vision. For the Romans there is only one city in the 
world, Rome, but what great emotion I felt before 
this glorious apparition, emerging as it does from the 
depths of history, with its two thousand years of 
existence, massive and sombre at the base, ethereal, 
ideal, glittering with gold, at its summit, the Holy 
of Holies. 

Evidently, Mother, one must not seek here the 
Roman Forum nor the Capitol nor temples dedicated 
to the multitude of our gods. Here is but one 
Temple and one God. But how vast and magnificent 
is this Temple, and how majestic He seems to me 
in His unity, this terrible God of the Jews! I be- 
gan to visit this strange city with Claudia and to 
study its history. First Gamaliel and then Onkelos 
serve us as guide and one could not have better, be- 
cause they know so perfectly their city, where every 
spot is witness to the great events of its marvelous his- 
tory. Besides this, they are both pleasant and sympa- 
thetic friends. 


In the beginning, Jerusalem was called Salem, and 
its king, whose life was full of mystery, was a priest 


IN JERUSALEM 


117 

of the Most High. What was his origin and his 
family ? From what race and from what country 
did he come? Who made him priest and king? No 
one knows. His name, Melchisedech, signified King 
of Justice, and the name of his city Salem meant 
Peace. His city and he represented, then, two great 
blessings to humanity, justice and peace. It is, per- 
haps, he of whom David thought, when he said, 
‘‘Justice and Peace have kissed each other.^^ 

He lived in the epoch of the shepherd kings, who 
governed their people while tending their flocks and 
also guarded souls, spiritual sheep. The two powers 
were united in one man, who was at the same time, 
father, king, and priest. Later on these people became 
nations and the powers were separated. 

One day Melchisedech summoned to his presence 
one of the neighboring shepherd kings in the valley 
of Save, to-day called the Valley of Jehosaphat. 
Abraham, the shepherd king, bowed his head before 
the king priest and recognized his supreme authority 
by paying a fine called a tithe. Since then, the Jews 
have called Abraham “ Father of Believers,’’ and 
Melchisedech “ Priest Eternal,” archetype of the 
Priesthood and figure of the expected Messiah. 

One of the successors of the King of Salem was 
called Jebus, and the fusion of the two names formed 
Jerusalem which the city has borne ever since; it 
signifies “ Vision of Peace.” This appellation ap- 
pears a sort of irony, because peace is a blessing it 
has never known in the past and which it will never 
enjoy for long at any time by reason of the change- 


ii8 


THE CENTURION 


able character of its people. The very earth on which 
it stands is as unstable as its history. Its moun- 
tains recall its high aspirations, its periods of glory, 
of power and pride. Its deep gorges, its dark 
ravines symbolize its slavery and the abysses of 
humiliation into which its people have fallen each 
time the arm of God has ceased to sustain it. 

Nevertheless, from this irregular city, convulsed 
as it is and full of ruin, there emanates an exquisite 
charm which enchants and draws me to it. The 
grandeur, the poetry, the dramatic interest of its 
history has no equal, this history is written on the 
stones of its monuments, in the overturned soil and 
on its formidable heights. This, then, Mother, is the 
theatre, so filled with memories, in which a new era 
of prophets is about to open and where events still 
more wonderful than those of past centuries are in 
course of accomplishment. 

The time has come to open well my eyes and ears, 
to instruct myself to the very depth of things per- 
taining to this country. Claudia takes the same in- 
terest in it as I. But Pilate is far from sharing our 
enthusiasm. He doubtless holds his position dear 
on account of its appointments and the honors which 
accrue to it, but he likes neither Judea nor the Jews. 
He is sadly bored here. It is not in a city like 
Jerusalem that he can find the amusements he loves; 
here are neither theatres nor circus, nor gladiators, 
nor even baths, for the baths of the common people 
are nothing like ours of Rome. And then my brother- 
in-law is not without anxiety on the subject of the 


IN JERUSALEM 


1 19 

Messianic movement. The agitation grows and 
might cause serious trouble. 

There are two things Claudia and I do not like. 
One is the smoke of the sacrifices constantly rising 
from the altar of the Holocausts, the odor of which 
is blown as far as the palace, when the wind comes 
from the south, and another is the traffic of victims 
under the beautiful porticoes of the Temple. This 
spectacle is disgusting at the time of the great re- 
ligious festivals, and when the Prophet of Nazareth 
preached His first sermon here. He Himself was re- 
volted. Taking a whip He drove the sellers and their 
flocks away and upset the tables of the money-changers. 
His aspect was so terrible that no one dared resist 
Him. 

But when He had returned into Galilee, the mer- 
chants came back and once again took up their 
business. 


PART III 


CONCERNING THE MESSIANIC MOVE- 
MENT 

CHAPTER I 
Pilate's house 

I N Jerusalem the Roman Procurator inhabited the 
castle “Antonia," named by Herod the Great in 
honor of his friend Anthony. It was the most monu- 
mental of the fourteen great castles of the Second 
Wall of Jerusalem and touched the northwest corner 
of the Temple. Joined to it, it encroached a little 
on the vast esplanade where the colonnades and 
porticoes lengthened out and, from an architectural 
point of view, completed and protected it. Its square 
walls were constructed of enormous chiseled blocks, 
measuring twelve feet in width and six in thickness 
and in length. Around the top ran a colossal cornice 
bordered with a machicolation or perforated parapet, 
crowned with battlements. It was a citadel and a 
palace, a barracks for the Roman cohorts and a 
residence for the Governor and his family. A mas- 
sive postern with bronze doors served as egress on 
the north into the wide streets which led to the 
“ Sheep Gate," and another narrower one brought the 
120 


PILATE’S HOUSE 


I2I 


palace into communication with the Vestibule of the 
Gentiles of the celebrated Temple. 

Pilate had married Claudia Procla, daughter of 
the Senator Claudius, one of the last descendants in 
the direct line of the gens Claudia, a patrician family 
of Rome. It was from this family that Caesar 
Octavius, who later became Emperor under the name 
of Augustus, had chosen his first wife Claudia, whom 
before many days he put away. He had married her 
to gain favor with Anthony and sent her back to 
reconcile himself with Pompey. The Emperor 
Tiberius was himself descended from the cider branch 
of this family, Claudia. The Roman Senate, of 
which the old Claudius made part, was by that time 
stripped of its first grandeur. 

The Senators had become courtiers with servile 
souls and to gain favor with the Emperor did not 
blush to play the role of informer. They denounced 
and accused all who bore them ill will or who did 
not assist them in their wasteful extravagance. From 
time to time the highest officers of state were killed 
but by what hands and for what crimes they had been 
struck was unknown. The secret orders of the 
Emperor had been executed by the Senate. No one 
suffered more than Claudius from the decay of this 
high magistracy to which he belonged. With the 
assistance of several of his colleagues, he had en- 
deavored to resist this state of things; but human 
force could no longer stay the fatal movement which 
led to the ruin of all those institutions which formed 
the glory of Rome. 


122 


THE CENTURION 


The old Senator was not of his time; he was rather 
of the type of the ancient Romans of the Republic. 
Remaining faithful to primitive polytheism, he con- 
sidered the propagation of Greek philosophy a danger 
to Rome. The doctrines of Zeno and of Epicurus, 
differing as they did, both involved the ruin of 
polytheism, and he was sincerely grieved to see the 
best minds of Rome divided between them. The 
decadence of morality saddened him as well, and he 
attributed it also to the corresponding passing away 
of ancient polytheism. This is why he preached of 
a return to old beliefs and primitive gods. These 
primitive gods were for him not simply Grecian 
divinities like hunman creatures having the weak- 
nesses and passions of humanity. The sovereign 
god for him was not Zeus, a poetic but effeminate 
ideal, it was Jupiter, majestic, austere, all powerful 
and good. Without exactly knowing the nature and 
attributes of the gods, he attributed to them all the 
good things of this world as well as the government of 
the nations. 

The inferior gods designated under the name of 
indigetes^^ did not find in him an unbeliever, but 
he considered them simply manifestations of divine 
power, not persons distinct from the supreme divinity. 
He repudiated the worship of idols, though he ad- 
mired the work of ‘ illustrious sculptors who fashioned 
images of the gods, but he wished it well understood 
that these images were but figures designed to remind 
men of the gods’ existence. He had the piety of the 
ancient Romans, offered sacrifice to the gods and 


PILATE’S HOUSE 


123 


frequently prayed to them. His two daughters were 
superior women in intelligence and culture. 

Camilla was less beautiful than Claudia, Pilate’s 
wife, but her mind was more brilliant and virile than 
that of her sister and had developed astonishingly in 
the study of the philosophers, moralists, historians 
and poets. While admiring his daughter’s erudition, 
the old Roman became alarmed at her tendencies and 
above all at the weakening of her faith in polytheism. 
But he was deeply afflicted by the scepticism of his 
son-in-law. 

In reality, Pilate had no religion. Like most of 
the enlightened Romans of his epoch, he looked upon 
polytheism as a collection of poetic but childish fables. 
The study of philosophy had at first attracted him, 
but no school convinced him. He would not accept 
the doctrines of the Stoics. To suppress the senses 
and live the life of the soul alone; to consider that 
the only misfortune in this world is vice which draws 
us away from the divine and the eternal law of order; 
that sufferings, sickness, reverses of fortune are not 
in reality evils, and that even death itself is not an 
evil to be feared, — these ethics were too austere for 
a man who had known the easy life of Rome. He 
applauded the disciples of Plato when they demolished 
stoicism, but followed them no further. Their doc- 
trine, too, was too severe. Epicurus himself had 
not won his allegiance because of his strict code of 
morals. He taught the search for . pleasure but 
placed it among the virtues. The disciples of 
Epicurus pleased him more, because they condemned 


124 


THE CENTURION 


only the excessive pleasure which might engender 
pain, and, if reason held supremacy over the senses 
and passions, it would still allow them certain liberty 
and permit a wide range of enjoyment. 

My philosophy,” he said, “ is very simple. The 
more I have observed the world and understood life, 
the more have I simplified it. I no longer seek the 
reason of things, being convinced I will not find it; 
why weary myself in research which I believe use- 
less? And how could I hope to unravel this great 
problem when so many philosophers have not suc- 
ceeded? I content myself, then, with watching the 
passing of things without asking myself from whence 
they come, or where they go, or of what they are 
made. If they are beautiful, I admire them and try 
to stop them in their flight to enjoy their beauty. 
If they are ugly, I close my eyes, turn away and 
repulse them; but if they persist in obscuring my 
vision and if they trouble my pleasures or darken my 
horizon, I use all the force in my power to crush 
them. Nevertheless, I do not like contention, and I 
fly from it. I like an easy life and the pleasure 
which it permits; power, glory and the satisfaction 
they give; riches for the well-being they create.” 

Pilate extended a very limited hospitality in Jeru- 
salem, and his friends were few. Besides which, he 
was not popular. Popularity imposes a thousand 
sacrifices he was not disposed to make. The Jewish 
priests, in particular, were displeasing to him, and he 
received them through official necessity alone. 


SOME OF PILATE’S FRIENDS 


125 


II 

SOME OF PILATE^S FRIENDS 

A mong the number of rare friends who fre- 
quented the palace of the Governor, were to be 
found the two Gamaliels, Prince Nicodemus, Joseph 
of Arimathea, Onkelos and several Roman officers, 
among others Caius Oppius, the Centurion of Mag- 
dala who had been promoted to command the guard 
of the Procurator. Caius Oppius belonged to two 
great families of Rome. His father was Oppius of 
the family of Oppia, and his mother was of the 
gens Cornelia. He had made his studies in Rome 
and had visited Greece. Then he had enrolled himself 
in a Roman legion and, after a campaign of several 
months in Syria, had been put at the head of a Com- 
pany and sent to the garrison at Magdala. 

The families Cornelia and Claudia were friends in 
Rome, and Caius as a simple legionary, had known 
Camilla when she was barely sixteen years of age. 
The expedition into Syria had separated them, but 
on finding each other in Jerusalem their former close 
association drew them nearer to each other. 

Caius was a fine type of soldier, frank, loyal, brave 
and generous, a character fair and straight, a mind 
which wished to know the truth and sought it in good 
faith. One could be certain that whenever he found 
it, he would not hesitate to embrace it. He was 
essentially a champion of just causes, no matter what 

might be their chance of success. Vanquished causes 
9 


126 


THE CENTURION 


might count upon him truly with as great certainty 
as triumphant ones. He had read widely and learned 
much, but belonged to no school. He was an eclectic, 
his mind remaining open to all wholesome doctrines 
preached. We have already seen, through his letters 
to Tullius, the admiration he had for Jesus and with 
what growing interest he followed the Messianic 
movement. 

Joseph of Arimathea and Prince Nicodemus were 
great friends, though the latter was much the younger. 
Both were powerful rulers with large fortunes and 
belonged to the Chamber of Elders in the Sanhedrim. 
But far from having the usual haughtiness of the 
chief priests, they were modest and diffident. By 
birth and connection they belonged to what was then 
called the governing class, but the class which in 
reality governed was the priesthood. Content with 
their lot, ambitious for neither power nor honors, 
they asked but to live in peace while awaiting the 
coming of the Messiah. Nicodemus, nephew of 
Gamaliel, had followed in his uncle’s footsteps and 
had become also a Doctor in Israel. He belonged 
to the sect of Pharisees but was of the more moderate 
party. He would not have fought for the triumph 
of justice and liberty; but there were occasions when 
he condemned those who refused justice to others. 
Joseph of Arimathea held the same opinions. With- 
out authority over other members of the Sanhedrim, 
they both enjoyed the consideration of all as well as 
public esteem, carefully avoiding everything that might 
cause them to lose it. Seeking fairly for the truth, 


SOME OF PILATE’S FRIENDS 


127 


they felt a secret sympathy for Jesus and grieved that 
their colleagues were preparing unrelenting war 
against the young prophet. But they were afraid of 
creating enemies for themselves or compromising their 
position by openly declaring themselves his disciples. 

Thus it was that Nicodemus wished to hold his first 
interview with Jesus at night. His conscience im- 
posed this duty upon him, but through human respect 
he did not wish it publicly known. This interview had 
thrown him into deep disquiet, and he spoke of it to 
Gamaliel. 

Gamaliel, surnamed the Elder, was the grandson 
of the illustrious Hillel, from whom he inherited 
genius, love for learning and some of his grandfather’s 
great reputation. Doctor of Law, Member of the 
Sanhedrim, he kept the most renowned school in 
Jerusalem, and numberless pupils gathered about his 
chair. Some came from Alexandria and some even 
from Athens, but at the time of our story, the most 
illustrious were Onkelos, Nicodemus, Saul of Tarsus, 
(who became St. Paul) Barnabas who was the com- 
panion of his missions, Luke who came from Gyrene, 
Manahem, foster-brother of the Tetrarch Herod and 
Stephen who was the first martyr to the faith. 

The illustrious professor was an orthodox Jew, 
closely attached to the Mosaic Law, but sincerely 
longing for the coming of the Messiah. He care- 
fully collected all the information he could procure 
about Jesus of Nazareth, and when he had heard Him 
in the Temple had been carried away with admiration 
and astonishment. 


128 


THE CENTURION 


“ How is it possible/^ asked he of Nicodemus, that 
this young Rabbi, who has never followed my teach- 
ing nor that of any other school, knows the scriptures 
better than I who have studied them for fifty years? 
He is an extraordinary man. His doctrine has never 
been taught by any other prophet. In my childhood, 
I heard my illustrious ancestor, the great Hillel speak. 
I was present at his greatest oratorical triumphs, but 
he never spoke as does Jesus of Nazareth; never 
would he have dared say such things as fall from the 
mouth of this prophet. Never has any man known 
to history pronounced such words as these, ‘ I am the 
Way and the Truth,’ ‘ I am the Resurrection and 
the Life,’ thus confirming that profession of faith 
made by Job, which at the same time is a prophecy; 

‘ I know that my Redeemer liveth.’ Such language 
passes my understanding, Nicodemus, and if this man 
is not the Son of God, who can He be? ” 

Gamaliel was head of the old school of Scribes, and 
his erudition was traditional, but at his side arose the 
younger school, eager for novelty, which had chosen 
Onkelos for leader. Greek, of remarkable distinc- 
tion, born of one of the old familes of Delphi, brought 
up in paganism to the age of twenty-nine, Onkelos 
had known only the gods of Olympus. For some 
time, however, he had held that great need for re- 
ligious refonnation existed in Greece, and the Sophists 
employed all their ingenuity to discover doctrines and 
formulas which might satisfy this need of humanity. 
But one after another the Schools destroyed each 
other, and the great overwhelming melancholy that 


SOME OF PILATE’S FRIENDS 


129 


leads to suicide enveloped all society. They had 
ceased to believe in the gods, who had become ridicu- 
lous, but nevertheless they regretted them. They de- 
manded others, and those who gave anxious thought 
to the future of humanity asked themselves, What 
gods are to re-people empty Olympus ? ” Heaven 
appeared closed, who was there to re-open it? The 
oracle of Delphi had formerly spoken to announce a 
new era, but for a long period it had been dumb. 

Then Onkelos emigrated into Judea to Jerusalem 
and became one of the disciples of Gamaliel. The 
subtle and learned doctor had convinced him of the 
falsehood of polytheism, and the young Greek finished 
by embracing Judaism with a zeal that had thrown 
him into the Pharasaical intolerance, except with re- 
gard to the Sadducees, with whom he willingly associ- 
ated. 

All that he had adored he burnt; the gods of 
Greece filled him with horror. Even the heritage re- 
ceived from his parents seemed impure, and to show 
the loathing with which the pagans and their gold 
inspired him, he went to the Dead Sea and buried in 
its depths his whole inheritance. This last was not 
a Jewish trait, for while the Jew detests the Gentile, 
he still gladly takes his money. 

Onkelos was learned in the Mosaic Law, and be- 
came the author of a Commentary on the Pentateuch 
in the Chaldaic language, which is celebrated even 
now and which the Jews read with confidence and 
admiration. But Greek philosophy had not inspired 
in him the same repulsion as did the polytheism of 


130 


THE CENTURION 


Delphi and Corinth. He still admired Socrates and 
Plato and had set up for himself a religious ideal 
which carried him to the point of believing that the 
expected Messiah would be the realization of this 
ideal. It was a fusion of the purest Platonic doc- 
trine with the Mosaic Law. One could understand 
how with these ideas Onkelos could not become a 
disciple of Jesus. 

Simeon Gamaliel was his most intimate friend. A 
new link had formed itself between these two, — their 
mutual admiration for Camilla, which each had con- 
fided to the other. 

Gamaliel, the son, did not in the least resemble his 
father. While the father was conciliating and peace- 
ful, the son was fanatical, intolerant and aggressive. 
He was a silent man ; he did not like the slow methods 
of speech, but preferred energetic and radical action. 
He had studied the law of Moses in his father's school, 
but had only learned it in the letter which kills and not 
in the spirit which vivifies. Pharisee and proud, in- 
fatuated with a knowledge which he believed he had 
inherited from his ancestors, especially from his 
grandfather Hillel, whose name was always on his 
lips, he showed himself imperious and intolerant. It 
seemed absurd to him that the Messiah could be of 
humble condition and poor, as was Jesus. He must 
be a prince, if He were the son of David, and sur- 
rounded with great power, -since He was to re-estab- 
lish the kingdom of Israel. He received great consid- 
eration in the Sanhedrim, in which with his father he 


SOME OF PILATE^S FRIENDS 


131 

had a place. The names of Gamaliel and of Hillel 
crowned his brow with an aureola, and his silence 
was attributed to wisdom. It must be added that his 
features were distinguished, he was tall and his car- 
riage noble and imposing. He was twenty-three years 
of age when his father sent him to Rome to study 
Latin letters, Roman history and the history of poly- 
theism. The father had hopes that travel, contact 
with other peoples, other customs and other manners 
and ideas would give his son a more conciliating, 
broader and more diplomatic culture; for he was the 
first to condemn his son’s exaggerations and fanaticism. 
But the sojourn at Rome had not at all produced this 
result. The scepticism of the Schools, the degrad- 
ing creed of polytheism, the corruption of morals 
had revolted him, and he returned more than ever an 
enemy of Rome. From the moment of his return, 
he began to conspire secretly and enrolled himself 
among the Nationalists ” afterwards called the 

Zelots ” who wanted, at all costs, to throw off the 
yoke of Rome. His love for Camilla forced him 
still more violently into this course of action, when 
he perceived that the beautiful Roman did not share 
his feelings and was attracted by the new doctrine 
preached by Jesus of Nazareth. 

Such were those whom religious questions and 
above all the question of the Messiah, interested most, 
and who often met, now in His Excellency’s state 
apartments, again at the house of Prince Nicodemus, 
who occupied a sumptuous residence near the gate of 


1132 


THE CENTURION 


Damascus, and sometimes at the residence of Joseph 
of Arimathea, who lived on the declivity of Gareb at 
the northwest of Golgotha. 

It is astonishing that religious discussion formed 
the principal subject of conversation every time the 
above personages found themselves together, and the 
passionate exasperation caused by such discussion 
is well known. The singular state of mind among 
the learned at this epoch was most interesting. 


Ill 


RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS 



MONG the Gentiles as well as among the Jews, 


the most enlightened minds felt a presentiment 
that the ancient religious and political institutions 
were perishing and that a new era was about to open 
upon the world. But what race and what man would 
give humanity this regeneration so greatly needed? 
Here was the problem, this was the question of the day. 
And this great question had passed from speculation 
into fact, since a great prophet had made his appear- 
ance, saying to the crowd, This Regenerator, — 
this Messiah whom you expect, is I; and it is God 
who sends Me to you.’’ The religious future of the 
world and of Messianism had become the theme of 
discussion, not only in the synagogues and public 
places, but even in the home of the Roman procurator. 
One evening it was Caius Oppius who began the 


RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS 


133 


conversation, saying, It seems to me the times 
have come sung by our poet Virgil and predicted by 
the Sibyl of Cumse. Rome is achieving its histor- 
ical evolution as that of Greece is already achieved, 
and this Roman civilization, of which we are so proud, 
will soon rejoin the Oriental civilizations in the night 
of the past/’ 

The old Claudius answered, ‘‘ What you take for 
night is but an eclipse. Wait a little while, and the 
sun will reappear. Rome is immortal.” 

Caius. — I say nothing to the contrary and sin- 
cerely hope Rome will not die. But it will be trans- 
formed. It will live only upon the condition that a 
new religious faith be infused into its national life. 
What is true of Rome is equally true of Greece. 
Are these not, Onkelos, the beliefs and hopes of your 
native country as well ? 

Onkelos. — More than three centuries ago, our great 
Plato announced the coming of one sent from Heaven 
to teach us the proper worship to render God. But 
I have often asked myself from whence had he drawn 
the idea of this supreme hope? Did he have it from 
the oracles of the Sibyl? Did he base it on the con- 
viction that the human mind unaided was incapable 
of discovering what form of worship was due to 
God? Or had he acquired it through intercourse 
with the Jews and knowledge of their sacred books? 
I do not know. But it is certain that he speaks of 
the coming of a divine messenger and that he describes 
his life and death almost in the same terms as does 


134 


THE CENTURION 


the prophet Isaias, and I do not see how he could have 
written certain passages of his work, had he not known 
the books of the Prophets. 

Nicodemus. — But in speaking thus, did Plato sim- 
ply express a new and personal sentiment? Or was 
it the echo of beliefs popular in Greece? 

Onkelos. — I believe he gave expression to a tradi- 
tion of a long expected coming. This belief was 
eloquently affirmed in the Prometheus of ^schylus, 
and in certain pages of Socrates. 

Nicodemus. — And is it perpetuated in Greece? 

Onkelos. — I believe that it has found its definite 
manifestation in the erection of a temple at Athens 
which is dedicated, “ To the Unknown God.’' 

Gamaliel. — And does the same belief exist in Per- 
sia and Egypt? 

Camilla. — In Italy our poets have gathered these 
Oriental traditions, and Virgil has given them the 
most precise and complete expression. I have in my 
hand his Fourth Eclogue, which is really extraordi- 
nary. 

Camilla began to read, but her father interrupted 
her. 

“ That is but a poet’s dream, and there is nothing 
in it save for those who have lost faith in polytheism. 
For me, I remain faithful to the religion of my an- 
cestors. This has made the greatness of Rome; to 
abandon it will cause her downfall. I have no illu- 
sions as to the weakening of our faith; it is the result 
of the corruption of our morals. We congratulate 
ourselves on having riches and living in luxury, but 


RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS 


135 


these are the things that cause our decadence. When 
the Romans lived simply instead of amassing treas- 
ure and riches of vanquished nations, rare furniture, 
rich paintings, soft carpets, objects of art and an- 
tiquities, every family gave to its country great, strong 
and courageous soldiers, virtuous citizens and honest 
magistrates. Alas, how the times have changed ! 
The Jews no longer have anything to do with us; they 
hold themselves apart because they fear our corrup- 
tion; and they are right. History repeats itself else- 
where. Egypt and Greece have preceded us in the 
path of decadence, and the same causes will produce 
with us the same effects. But I do not believe, in 
spite of all that, in the final downfall of our religion.” 

Pilate. — Well, I believe it and do not expect any 
reformation. Religions have had their day; they 
have been a great governmental force, necessary in- 
stitutions to the formation of society and clarions of 
battle; to-day they are nothing but brazen cymbals. 
They have been beacons throughout centuries of 
darkness, but since the century of Augustus they are 
nothing more than smoking lamps. I understand that 
certain persons allow themselves to be captured by 
religious novelties. But these novelties will last a 
shorter time than the rubbish of Egypt and of Greece. 
I am not an impious person. I believe with Ovid that 
a god formed the earth and man by separating them 
from primitive chaos, but where is he, this god? 
What manner of being is he and what relation can 
there be between him and us? No one knows any- 
thing about it, and that is why religions are chimeras. 


136 


THE CENTURION 


God alone could instruct us upon this fact, but noth- 
ing proves that He has judged it right to do so. 
Those who pretend that He has spoken to them and 
given them a mission to instruct are either liars or 
dupes of hallucinations. 

A personal friend of Pilate^s, Greek by origin and 
a man of letters, named Pancreas, then said, — 

‘‘ Governor, I am almost entirely of your opinion, 
though my belief has another basis than yours. I 
do not distinguish between cause and effect; between 
creator and creation. The two make but one, and 
this one is God. He is spirit and body; his body 
which I see is the universe, and I presume that this 
body has a soul which is invisible, but whose mani- 
festations I see.” 

Pilate. — And when did this body begin to exist ? 

Pancreas. — It is eternal, like the spirit. 

Pilate. — And everything is God ? 

Pancreas. — Everything. 

Pilate. — Thyself? 

Pancreas. — Myself ; I am a fraction of God. 

Pilate burst out laughing and said, “ My dear Pan- 
creas, from the moment that thou makest thyself a 
part of him, I cannot believe in thy god. Neither 
do I believe that the chief priests will ever take him 
for their Messiah, in whom, by the way, I do not be- 
lieve.” 

Gamaliel the younger. — Well, for me, Governor, 
I believe in Him and expect Him, and even if the 
prophets had not promised us a Messiah, I would be- 
lieve that His coming is near at hand. 


RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS 


137 


Pilate. — And why ? 

Gamaliel. — Because the world has need of Him. 
Because if God exists, and you do not doubt His ex- 
istence, He can no longer permit it to remain under 
the dominion of one man alone, who is called Tibe- 
rius. There is no longer a law, there is no more jus- 
tice, there are no more rights nor liberty for any- 
one. What do I say? Even your Roman gods are 
no longer anything but myths. There exists but one 
sovereign master of all things and of everyone, and 
this sovereign is a monster. 

Pilate. — Gamaliel, such language is not permitted 
under my roof. I am Caesar’s representative, and no 
one must fail in respect to him in my presence. 

Gamaliel. — I beg your pardon. Governor, for hav- 
ing allowed myself to be carried away by the ardor 
of my nationalistic sentiments. I know that under 
your roof I am not excusable for mingling politics 
with religion. I only wished to express my profound 
conviction that the present world has need of a Sav- 
iour and that He will soon be given to it, if I have a 
clear understanding of the prophecies. 


And it was thus that all conversation was turned 
into religious controversy and finished with Jesus of 
Nazareth, who was the Man of the day. Camilla 
often took part in these discussions, and her remarks 
were clear and reasonable. Above all, she listened 
with extraordinary interest, and to keep her with 
them Caius and Onkelos often provoked disputes, now 


138 


THE CENTURION 


with Gamaliel and Nicodemus, again with the Gover- 
nor and the old patrician. 

Nicodemus/' Caius said one day, I recognize 
the truth of monotheism, but Nature herself draws 
men into pantheism, which is Pancreas' religion and 
which ends by being about the same as polytheism. 
This is an historical fact. How, then, do you explain 
that the Hebrews have remained monotheists? Is it 
because they are of Semitic origin? 

Nicodemus. — No; we are surrounded by nations 
who are of Semitic origin and are idolaters. This 
neighborhood has always been a great religious peril 
for us, and when Israel sinned by idolatry, Semitic 
people themselves led it away. 

Caius Oppius. — Where, then, do you find the cause 
of this fidelity of your people to the monotheistic 
faith? 

Nicodemus. — The cause is supernatural and is dis- 
cussed in our Ploly Books. It is limited to the chosen 
people of Jacob. Without revelation, without our 
constant relationship with God through the mediation 
of our prophets and without the periodical chastise- 
ments with which He has afflicted us, we would have 
done as other nations and glided into polytheism. 
This has happened to the Semitic races which did 
not descend from Jacob and inhabited Phoenicia, 
Chaldea and Egypt. But that is not all. The unity 
of God is not our only dogma; we have another as 
important as the first, which has preserved it in its ex- 
traordinary vitality. It is the expectation of a Mes- 
siah. For many centuries, the Hebrews have be- 


RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS 


139 


lieved that He will come and that He will establish 
the kingdom of God in the world. So that this king- 
dom will also be ours, since we are the chosen people 
of God. And, mark well, that is not a thing of the 
past, but an institution to come and which conse- 
quently cannot grov/ old. Our belief is a hope, and 
this hope has made us live. 

Caius Oppius. — But hope dies like everything else. 
How, then, has yours been able to exist through such 
long centuries without realization ? Man quickly tires 
of waiting. 

Nicodemus. — It is true, and that is why I see in 
this historical phenomenon a supernatural cause and 
find in it one more proof that Jehovah has always pro- 
tected Israel. 


Sometimes the discussion would turn directly upon 
Jesus of Nazareth and on His teaching, which all the 
world declared extraordinary, but which they did not 
wish to recognize as divine. Onkelos was the most 
ardent in denying all idea of divine inspiration in the 
discourse of the Nazarean. 

‘‘ There are certainly in the preaching of Jesus,’ ^ he 
said to Gamaliel the elder, doctrines which ex- 
isted before Him. He borrows many things from 
Greek philosophy.” 

Gamaliel. — And what deduction do you draw from 
this fact, supposing it to be true ? 

Onkelos. — I deduct and conclude that he deceives 
His disciples by telling them His teaching is divine. 


140 


THE CENTURION 


Gamaliel. — But, my dear Onkelos, Jesus would not 
reject a truth because some of your philosophers had 
taught it before Him. Truth itself bears a divine 
character and does not lose this character because 
it proceeds from the mouth of Plato, Socrates 
or Zeno. There is some divinity in the human 
genus, but the divine can only touch us by becom- 
ing human. Still, it is always divinity. I do not 
believe that Jesus ever studied Greek philosophy, but 
suppose He really had taken some of the truths it 
teaches, they would not be the less divine, and so He 
has every right to say to His disciples, These truths 
come from God.’’ 

Onkelos. — ■ But our philosophers were neither gods 
nor prophets such as the men Jehovah sent the Jewish 
people to teach them truth. 

Nicodemus. — No, without doubt, nor were they 
inspired. But you have there precisely, my dear On- 
kelos, a great historical problem which you would do 
well to study deeply. Whence came the truths great 
geniuses have known and taught? We ourselves be- 
lieve in a primitive revelation made to man by God 
Himself. But how have other peoples acquired the 
summa of truth we find in their books? Has prim- 
itive revelation been transmitted to them through tra- 
dition, or have they raised themselves by the force of 
reason alone to the knowledge of primordial truth. 
This is the condition of the historical problem; but 
however that may be, truth is always truth, and 
whether it be inspired in us by our conscience or 
whether it be taught us through our reason, or by 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 141 

learned men, it is always of divine origin, and Jesus 
has the right to say, if His teaching be true, that it 
comes from God. Neither does He pretend to give us 
a law of His own invention, new in all its parts. On 
the contrary. He says and repeats, that He has not 
come to abolish the ancient law but to accomplish 
and perfect it. Thou thyself, Onkelos, boldest the be- 
lief that the Mosaic law is not to be changed but that 
it is susceptible of development, of being made per- 
fect. This is also my idea, and if I be not mistaken, 
it is in combining with it the best in Grecian philos- 
ophy that thou wilt arrive at this state of perfection. 
But then, if it be true that Jesus of Nazareth borrows 
part of His doctrines from Socrates and Plato, thou 
shouldst work in unison with Him, thou, who hast 
remained a disciple of these great philosophers, in 
spite of thy conversion to Judaism. 

Onkelos found himself at a loss to answer these 
questions, when Nicodemus intervened and changed 
the course of the discussion. 


IV 

NEW CONTROVERSIES 

I T often happened that the same controversialists 
met at the house of Prince Nicodemus, who exer- 
cised a generous hospitality. Naturally the discussion 
recommenced on the Messianic problem, which was 
more than ever the subject of the day. Among the 

doctors in Israel, members of the Sanhedrim who did 
10 


142 


THE CENTURION 


not belong to the Chamber of the Priests, Gamaliel 
and Onkelos were those who had greatest authority. 
They were not only eloquent and learned in letters, 
but their deep knowledge of the Scriptures was widely 
recognized. One evening Nicodemus asked Onkelos 
this question, — 

How translatest thou and to whom dost thou 
apply the name ‘ Scheloh ’ in this little verse of the 
prophecy of Jacob, ‘ The sceptre shall not be taken 
away from Juda, until that time when Scheloh comes. 
It is He whom the nations shall obey ’ ? 

Onkelos. — The meaning of the prophecy itself is 
not doubtful, and all the Doctors in Israel interpret it 
as applying to the Messiah, which means that He will 
come when Juda shall have lost its sceptre, that is to 
say, its autonomy. The only difficulty lies in the 
translation of the name Jacob gives the Messiah. He 
calls him Scheloh. To what language does this name 
belong and what does it mean? I myself believe it 
means, He to whom belongs the kingdom.” Others 
say ‘‘To whom belongs the sceptre.” But the two 
different etymological versions have the same mean- 
ing. 

Nicodemus. — Whatever may be its etymological 
formation, thou believest, then, that it is by this name 
that Jacob calls the Messiah? 

Onkelos. — Yes. 

Nicodemus. — Well, then, has the time come for 
the accomplishment of the prophecy, since the sceptre 
has gone from Juda? 

Onkelos. — Obviously, 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


143 

Nicodemus. — Then why should Jesus of Nazareth 
not be the promised Messiah ? 

Onkelos. — If He wishes me to believe in Him, 
then let Him take possession of the sceptre of Juda; 
let Him tear it away from the servile and unfaithful 
hands of the Herods; let him re-establish this kingdom 
which will assure universal domination to the Jews, 
since the holy patriarch has predicted that all nations 
shall pay Him homage. This, then, is the miracle He 
must work to prove to me His right to the title of 
Messiah. What does it matter that He cures the sick 
and the infirm, that He gives sight to the blind and 
speech to the dumb? Other prophets have done the 
same before Him. Instead of delivering those who 
are possessed by the devil, let Him deliver His people 
from the yoke of the stranger. Let him restore to 
Jerusalem its enfeebled glory and its destroyed power 
and I will be the first to pay Him homage. If He is 
incapable of accomplishing this great work, the only 
miracle which interests me, it is because He is not the 
Messiah. 

Pilate, who had gone away, returned in time to hear 
these words and said, — 

I did not know, Onkelos, that you were an enemy 
of Rome.’' 

I am not. Governor, and have never pretended 
that its yoke is tyrannical. On the contrary, I am of 
opinion, that the colonial policy of Rome is broad and 
gives us all necessary liberty. But we are looking for 
the Messianic character of Jesus of Nazareth, and as 
I am hardly disposed to recognize it in Him, I reason 


144 


THE CENTURION 


thus: the Messiah is to re-establish the kingdom 
of Juda. If Jesus be powerless to perform this mir- 
acle, He is not the Messiah.’’ 

Gamaliel. — Do you know him personally ? 

Onkelos. — I accompanied a group of my country- 
men who obtained an audience of Him, and He told 
us things that were strange enough. 

Gamaliel. — Tell us about them. 

Onkelos. — You may judge for yourselves. After 
having given Him my idea of a religious reform which 
should be a mingling of the doctrines of Plato and 
Moses, I said to Him, — 

“ But surely. Master, you do not expect to abolish 
the Mosaic law and the priesthood ? ” 

He answered, I did not come to destroy the law, 
but to fulfill it. One does not put new wine in old 
vessels, otherwise the new wine would break them; the 
wine would be spilt and the vessels would be lost.” 

And my eyes continuing to question Him, He 
added, “ One does not sew a piece of new cloth to 
an old garment.” 

I understood that He meant to say, Your Plato, 
your Socrates and your Jewish priesthood are ancient 
vases and old garments. What do you wish me to do 
with them ? ” 

I frowned and turned my back upon Him. 

Gamaliel. — You will admit it was a very ingenious 
answer to a Doctor in Israel who had just taught Him 
how to accomplish His mission. 

Onkelos. — But was it not an insult to me and con- 
tempt for the great philosophers of Greece? 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


145 


Gamaliel, — No, because, after all. His observation 
was right and just. You were speaking to Him of a 
religious reformation ; that is to say, you wish to make 
of the old religion a new wine. But you expected to 
keep the old formulas and the old worship. He an- 
swered that you should put the new wine into new 
vessels, that is to say, into a new dogma, and to sew 
the new cloth to a new garment, that is to say, to a 
new creed. 

Onkelos.— However, He declares that He is the 
Word, and He borrows this title from the Platonists 
who believe in a Logos,’’ species of divine emana- 
tion, establishing communication between God and 
man. 

Gamaliel. — Well, then, this title should please thee, 
Onkelos, and draw thee nearer Him. 

Onkelos. — No, not at all. The Logos of the Pla- 
tonists is not a distinct personality nor an incarnation 
of God. Plato never had the idea of a Logos made 
man. 

Gamaliel. — Then Jesus of Nazareth does not copy 
the Platonists. He rises far above them in saying, 
“ I am the Logos — the Word.” 

Onkelos, — Well, then, Gamaliel, here is my frank 
and firm opinion of the Galilean : He is a great gen- 
ius, perhaps, but He lacks equilibrium. Ambition will 
be His destruction. He is proclaimed prophet and 
thaumaturgist. If He were content with this glory 
no one would contradict Him, perhaps. But He 
dreams of the impossible. He wishes to make Him- 
self accepted as God. It is a folly astonishing in so 


146 


THE CENTURION 


remarkable a man and which will soon lead him to de- 
struction. 

Pilate. — I think a little as you do, Onkelos; Jesus 
is an astonishing man, a genius apparently beyond all 
understanding, and, if the circumstances which make 
men are favorable to Him, He will without doubt 
leave a name in history. But, like many others who 
have been thought and who are great men. He will 
leave nothing else. He will be like the ship which 
makes a deep impression on the waves but leaves be- 
hind it nothing but a white wake that soon becomes 
effaced. What does He want? I do not know. I 
have questioned those who have heard Him and have 
been able to learn nothing which could indicate in 
any way His plans. His real ambition. 

Nicodemus. — His ambition! It is that very thing 
of which Caiphas and the Princes of the priests ac- 
cuse Him, but this accusation does not hold good be- 
fore the following fact which I affirm, that is, that 
He foresees His approaching death, that He announces 
it and does nothing to avoid it. On the contrary. 
He wishes it,” because He says it is necessary to the 
establishment of His kingdom. 

Pilate. — Then He is insane. 

Nicodemus. — Or else He is a God. Your Excel- 
lency, let us reason a little. Here is a man thirty- 
three years old, in all the vigor of health; He is en- 
dowed with the most brilliant faculties and such ex- 
traordinary gifts that human reason cannot explain 
them. The people love and admire Him; crowds 
follow Him into the desert to hear His words without 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


147 


thinking of taking with them any food. There He 
feeds them miraculously. They wish to make Him 
king, and He flees into the mountains! He would 
have but to make a sign and to-morrow all Galilee 
would rise to proclaim His royalty; and I ask myself 
how could you prevent it, Governor. And then He 
avoids all homage of the people. In the flower of His 
youth He prepares to die without having tasted the 
pleasures of life. He runs to meet this death because 
He says it is necessary for the establishment of a 
kingdom He will not enjoy! And you call this man 
ambitious! Ye gods! Since when did the ambitious 
work for the glory and the happiness of others ? And 
what ambitious person was ever insane enough to 
believe that he would be more powerful dead than 
alive? No, Governor, nothing betokens ambition in 
Jesus. Remember Caesar. Was it for his successors 
or for himself that he coveted the Empire? And 
Augustus? Did he work for others in taking up 
again Caesar’s designs? Did he build a throne to 
make his shadow rise upon it after death? No, hu- 
man ambition has its history and that of Jesus is its 
contradiction. Say, rather, that He is insane or that 
He appears to be so, for His conduct reverses all the 
principles of human wisdom. Say He is an eccentric, 
because He lives and thinks and acts outside the sphere 
of our understanding and our capacity to understand. 
In a word. He is so different, so far above us that we 
cannot grasp His nature or know how to classify Him. 
How can you reasonably call a man insane whose in- 
telligence shows itself so vastly superior to our own? 


148 


THE CENTURION 


Gamaliel. — If we could admit and understand that 
He is at the same time God and man, we might per- 
haps penetrate the mystery which surrounds Him, 
But how can a man be God ? And how can God be a 
man? This is beyond understanding. 

Pilate. — My dear friends, the problem seems neither 
complicated nor superhuman to me: you will see it 
unravel itself in the most human, the most natural 
and the most vulgar manner. This man appears to 
you through a mirage, and popular imagination has 
transfigured Him, but wait until the mirage has disap- 
peared, and you will see Him reduced to ordinary pro- 
portions, subject to all the miseries of human weak- 
ness. If He really wants to die. He will easily find a 
way, thanks to His many and powerful enemies; and 
if He die, what happens to all the world will happen 
to Him as well. It is what happened to Caesar. His 
disciples will not sacrifice their lives for Him, and no 
one will dream of proclaiming Him God. His king- 
dom will have been but the ephemeral dream of a 
madman. In the lives of men there are many mys- 
teries, but in death they find their brutal and definite 
solution. 

Nicodemus. — But is death itself a definite solu- 
tion? 

Pilate. — I believe it; since we know nothing of 
what comes after. Since the mysteries of the beyond 
have not been revealed to us, scepticism seems the only 
reasonable doctrine on this point as on all religious 
questions. 

Claudius. — Oh, Pilate, how can you doubt immor- 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


149 


tality — the future life of the soul? You must have 
forgotten the eloquent proof Cicero left us of this 
truth in his treatise, De consolatione. “ The soul is 
the image 'of Divinity, emanated and come out of it, 
and Divinity is immortal.” It has its source in Di- 
vinity; Heaven is the centre toward which it tends; 
it was its first dwelling, and it unceasingly longs to 
return into this eternal home, its true country. The 
great orator reverts to this belief, so very strong within 
him, in his Dream of Scipio. He represents Scipio 
Africanus, appearing to his grandson, the second 
victor of Carthage, on a great height strewn with stars 
and resplendent with light, speaking thus to him. 
What you call life is death; the real life is here. It 
is not thou but thy body which is mortal. The soul 
is the man not this shape which thou callest thy 
body.” 

Caius. — No philosopher has spoken better. Gov- 
ernor, not even Plato. For the rest there is no scep- 
ticism in nature. The human mind thirsts to believe, 
as it thirsts to know. When it abandons its original 
beliefs, it is to take up others. Look around you; read 
history. Save for very rare exceptions, you will see 
everywhere throughout all epochs men who change 
their creeds, not men who have none. Horace, your 
favorite poet, one of the disciples of Epicurus, is not 
in reality a sceptic. When he preaches in honor of 
the gods his convictions are not strong, but he be- 
lieves in presentiments, in dreams, in sorcery and 
magic. Pliny, Ovid and other writers believe in all 
sorts of superstitions. And your Emperor Tiberius! 


THE CENTURION 


150 

He despises the gods but fears their occult power 
and the predictions of astrologers. All this shows a 
natural necessity of the human mind for belief in 
something, but in something mysterious and occult 
which can neither be explained nor understood. 

Pilate. — Well, for me, Caius, I wish no mysteries 
nor anything too complicated. My religion is simple 
and comprehensible. I have no objection to the belief 
in one god or many gods, for my scepticism is not 
absolute. One God alone, however, seems more 
reasonable. But what do I know of anything else? 
And who can teach me anything else with authority, 
proving to me the divine origin of His mission and 
of His doctrine? Is it you, Onkelos, with your great 
philosophers who have not been able to regenerate 
Greece or who, with their disciples called the Soph- 
ists, have increased its decadence pretending in spite 
of this to be the real sages ? — Which were the mad- 
men? I cannot say, but almost believe with your 
Pythagoras that life is too short to spend in the dis- 
cussion of these great problems. 

Onkelos. — I deplore, as you do, the work of the 
Sophists; they have caused the unhappiness of my 
country, but this proves nothing against religion. On 
the contrary, if Greece be in decadence, it is because 
the Sophists have destroyed its religious faith. 

Gamaliel. — That is true. But the Governor is 
right in wishing that he who pretends to found or only 
to teach a religion should prove his authority — his 
divine mission. That is why our religion is the only 
true one; it had for its founder one sent by God. 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


151 

Moses was not only a genius like Socrates and Plato ; 
he had received his authority and mission from 
Jehovah; he has transmitted to us the teaching of God 
himself. If the people believed in him, it is because 
he gave proof of the divinity of his mission. Our 
prophets have also proved by their works that God 
himself inspired them. Witness the vitality of our 
religious faith and the immortality of our national 
sentiment. Israel has been vanquished, dispersed, led 
into captivity without leaders, without a country, with- 
out a flag, and has survived all the misfortunes that 
should naturally have annihilated it. Egypt is noth- 
ing more than a shadow. Greece has just died. 
Rome itself is in decadence, while Israel, eight cen- 
turies older than Rome, conquered by her, is more 
alive. The Jew is everywhere, in all countries of the 
world. He establishes himself, lays the foundation of 
his home and builds Jewish cities in the midst of 
pagan ones; he learns the language of the company 
in which he lives; establishes social relations, becomes 
powerful; but remains a Jew. The governments 
which find him encroaching upon their territory take 
every measure either to assimilate or to proscribe him, 
but he resists assimilation and proscription, and when 
they have sent him out by the door, he returns 
through the window. And his home? Is it these 
lands that he inhabits? Does he make for himself 
there a second country of his own? No, he remains 
a Jew; he retains the memory of his native country, 
that country of his ancestors. He preserves the faith 
of his race and his national feeling, and neither the 


THE CENTURION 


152 

frontiers of nations nor the seas, prevent his con- 
ternplating and loving here, at the far end of the world, 
the ideal Jerusalem which is always his true home. 

Pilate. — I willingly recognize, Gamaliel, in that 
there is something extraordinary, outside the laws of 
history, but if your Mosaic law has given you this 
astonishing national vitality what need have you of a 
Messiah? 

Gamaliel. — It is our religious faith which has made 
us live. But the promise of the Messiah is precisely 
the vital dogma of our religion. It is not only what 
Jehovah has given us but what he has promised us 
that has kept us alive. We believe in Moses but we 
believe also that his law is capable of being perfected, 
that it will be the work of the Messiah to perfect and 
complete it, and so our religion, having arrived at its 
full development, will have two founders, both sent by 
God ; Moses and the Messiah. 

Pilate. — And you believe that the time fixed by your 
prophets for the coming of the Messiah has arrived ? 

Gamaliel. — We believe it. 

Pilate. — And that this Messiah will deliver you 
from the yoke of Rome and establish the kingdom of 
Juda? 

Gamaliel. — On this point we are divided, and the 
prophecies are quite obscure. 

Pilate. — And what do you think, then, of Jesus of 
Nazareth? 

At this question Camilla, Claudius, Caius and Nico- 
demus fixed their eyes upon the old Doctor in Israel 


NEW CONTROVERSIES 


153 

while anxiously awaiting his response. He hesitated 
and said at last, — 

Your question, Governor, brings many other seri- 
ous ones to my mind. How could a woman give 
birth to a god? How can she have become a mother 
and remained a virgin according to the prophecy of 
Isaias? How can divine and human nature be united 
in the same person? These are the great problems 
I would have to solve to penetrate the mystery of 
Jesus of Nazareth, and to this day they are unsolvable 
by my poor powers of reasoning.'' 


In this way the discussions nearly always con- 
cluded. The Messianic problem rose before the in- 
terlocutors and remained without solution. It could 
not be answered by reason alone; the human mind re- 
duced to its own impotence, was powerless to explain 
these mysteries. It was necessary to make an act of 
faith and not a syllogism. One could only say, ‘Hf 
Jesus of Nazareth be God, He is Himself a living 
mystery far above my understanding. If I insist that 
the Divinity show itself to me without a veil, I no 
longer have a reason for believing in Jehovah, Himself 
a mystery. Jesus is a living miracle, whose existence 
is its own proof." 

This is what the Princes of the priests should have 
said to themselves, had they sought the truth in good 
faith; but they were blinded by pride, ambition and 
self-interest. 


154 


THE CENTURION 


V 

ONKELOS AND CAMILLA 

C AMILLA took the greatest interest in these con- 
troversies between the distinguished men who 
met in the drawing-rooms of the Governor or at the 
house of Prince ben Gorion Nicodemus. In this 
chosen circle her brilliant intelligence lost none of 
its radiance. She herself held strong opinions on the 
extraordinary personality of Jesus of Nazareth. She 
would have liked to see and hear him; because she 
was already convinced, by what Caius had told her, 
of the superiority of this man to all others. Un- 
fortunately, the prophet no longer came to Jerusalem. 
He had not even come on the last Passover, and they 
had learned that he had gone to the sea, about the 
region of Tyre and Sidon. 

Would he ever return to the Holy City? It was 
doubtful, because it was known that the chief priests 
had decided to put him to death and had charged spies 
to arrest him at the moment of his reappearance in 
the Temple. 

While waiting, Camilla continued to study the 
history and writings of the Jewish people and to visit 
the places where so many wonderful events had oc- 
curred. Under these conditions, Simeon Gamaliel and 
Onkelos were most valuable friends, because each in 
turn accompanied her to different parts of the city and 
its environs which they knew so well. And both 
were authorities in the interpretation of the Holy 


ONKELOS AND CAMILLA 


155 


Books. Unfortunately, these archeological expedi- 
tions, especially with Simeon Gamaliel, became too 
sentimental for Camilla’s taste. Gamaliel could no 
longer disguise his admiration, dating from their long 
conversations on board the “ Nauticaa ! ” 

Onkelos was not less sensible to the charm of the 
beautiful Roman, but took care to express his feeling 
in such veiled terms that Camilla could not possibly 
take offence. One day, just as the sun was setting, 
she wanted to see for herself Mount Bethesda and to 
visit the grotto of the Prophet Jeremias and the tombs 
of the Kings. Onkelos offered his services as guide, 
and they left the city by the ‘‘ Sheep Gate.” They 
slowly followed along the high walls of the enclosure 
and turned towards the north corner, keeping to the 
left side of the road. After thirty minutes’ walk, 
they entered a narrow path between two ruined walls 
leading to the grotto of the celebrated Prophet 
Jeremias. 

“ Here,” said Onkelos, ‘‘ is the dark cell hewn out 
of the rock which served as a dwelling for the gloomy 
son of Helcias. It was here he composed his Lamen- 
tationSj the saddest words which have ever emanated 
from a human voice.” 

‘‘ Do you like this lugubrious poem? ” asked Camilla. 

‘‘Very much; I admire it all the more since I have 
known sufferings similar to those of the Prophet.” 

“ But you have never been persecuted, accused of 
treachery, imprisoned, thrown to the depths of a well, 
as he was ? ” 

“ No, his own suffering is not the subject of the 


THE CENTURION 


156 

lamentation. To a man who loves his race, individual 
suffering is nothing. The great sorrow of the son of 
Helcias was the ruin of his native land, the destruc- 
tion of that Jerusalem he thought so beautiful and 
loved so dearly. This is the suffering I have known.’’ 
Onkelos sighed deeply and said, Let us leave this 
place; come, rather, and look at Jerusalem.” 

The two left the cave, climbed the hill which rises 
over it and looked at the great city. The setting sun 
illumined all its crenelated towers, and the gilded 
cupola of the Temple gleamed out of this wonderful 
frame. 

See,” said Onkelos, ‘‘ is it astonishing that the 
Prophet contemplated this incomparable scene with an 
almost adoring love? Judge, then, how he must have 
suffered when his prophetic eyes saw in the near future 
the lamentable ruins which would replace these 
splendors and what was his dejection, when he re- 
turned here towards evening after his interview with 
King Sedecias. All his prophecies, all his warnings, 
founded on the word of Jehovah, had been unavailing. 
Not only the king persisted in his blindness, but his 
ministers and the leaders of his army had resolved to 
put this prophet of misfortune to death. And, at last, 
measure if you can, the depth of his affliction when 
with his own eyes he saw the dreadful accomplishment 
of his prophecies. Nebuchadnezzar became master of 
his well beloved city, destroying it from top to bottom, 
slaying the great of Juda, even the king’s son, before 
the eyes of the unhappy Sedecias,. at last blinding him 
and loading him with chains to lead him into captivity 


ONKELOS AND CAMILLA 


157 


together with all his people. Picture to yourself, the 
son of Helcias seated where we are now with this in- 
describable vision of grief before him, and you will 
better understand the elegiac stanzas of this poet of 
sadness. 

“ ‘ Quomodo sedet sola civitas.’ . . . 

“ ‘ See how she sits alone, this populous city.’ ” 

And he recited for her a whole page of the Lamenta- 
tions. 

After a silence Onkelos resumed, “ How beautiful 
is the wonderful architecture of Jerusalem under the 
rosy reflection of the flaming sun ; and yet I remember 
a far more beautiful scene lost to me forever. Yes, 
Jerusalem and its Temple make a splendid picture, 
but the Acropolis of Athens and the Parthenon are 
still more glorious. Man’s genius has never erected 
anything more grand, more harmonious nor more in- 
spired.” 

“ Why, then,” asked Camilla, have you abandoned 
your country and embraced Judaism?” 

‘‘Ah, Camilla, you recall deep sorrow to my mind. 
Nebuchadnezzar never destroyed my well beloved city, 
but the Romans took it, and my country is but the 
shadow of what is was. The great ones of earth have 
become our masters. They have destroyed, ruined, 
scattered and depopulated my unfortunate country. 
And then, religion has fallen into decadence. 
Sophists have replaced the philosophers who had been 
our glory. Our morals have become corrupt, and I 

could no longer endure the spectacle of national 
11 


THE CENTURION 


158 

decay. Then I came here, where I have found 
fragments of my country in the flourishing Greek 
cities of Galilee and Samaria. I have studied the 
Jewish religion, and it has proved far superior to 
polytheism. It is the only real religion of the past and 
is the religion of the future because of its fundamental 
dogma, the belief in a Messiah who will make of the 
Jewish nation the most powerful people on earth. It 
is then that this people, which has become my people, 
shall triumph over Rome.” 

‘‘ You believe that, really? ” 

‘‘Yes; what Greece cannot do, the Jewish people will 
accomplish, when the Messiah shall have come. Do 
you understand, now, why I embraced the religion of 
the Jews? One’s country is not changed without a 
cruel wrench, and when I find myself near you, a bit- 
ter regret is added to my sorrow.” 

“ What regret?” 

“ That of knowing you to be a Roman.” 

“ Then it is painful for you to walk with me? ” 

“ No, on the contrary, I welcome any suffering you 
may cause me.” 

Camilla did not answer, and they resumed their walk 
toward the fortification. 

Onkelos followed her and spoke again, — 

“ These heights are alive with historic memories. 
It is here the prophet Isaias came at God’s command to 
meet Achaz, king of Juda, and gave him this message 
from Jehovah: 

“ ‘ Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and 


ONKELOS AND CAMILLA 


159 

His name shall be called Emanuel/’ which signifies 
“ God with us.” ’ ” 

“ Does this prophecy apply to the Messiah ? ” 

‘‘ LFndoubtedly. And it is one of the titles which is 
lacking to Jesus, whose father and mother are well 
known at Nazareth. 

‘‘ Here are the tombs of the Kings,” added Onkelos, 
pointing with his hand to the door of a great cavern 
hewn into the rock. 

‘‘ Is this really the sepulchre of the kings of 
Juda? ” asked Camilla. 

‘‘ No,” answered Onkelos, they rest in the city of 
Zion by the side of David.” 

“ And these sarcophagi, what are they ? ” 

‘‘ They belong to the Herodian princes.” 

They entered the sepulchral chambers and sat upon 
an overturned tombstone. Living flowers grew on the 
earthy bed which time had spread over the graves. 
Through this garment of resurrection the tombs 
seemed to smile, but a wailing wind trembled as it 
grazed the monuments, its breath swaying the living 
stems as if to show a careless world that human ashes 
rested there. 

Onkelos gathered some of the flowers and offered 
them to Camilla, saying, — 

“ My heart is not unlike their ashes, but like the 
flowers too, there are tender feelings budding in its 
depths.” 

Camilla took the little bouquet saying, “ Thank 
you.” 


i6o THE CENTURION 

They rose and after walking a little distance, 
found themselves out in the open air, where immortal 
nature sang of the fulness of life and intoxication of 
love. The red globe of the sun was just about to 
hide itself behind a mountain of clouds that touched 
the earth, in which the rents resemble torrents of 
red lava. But Onkelos' eyes were all for his com- 
panion. He did not speak — though he thought the 
moment for speaking had come. 

You have become a great dreamer,’’ said Camilla. 

‘‘ It is the sight of the tombs that makes this im- 
pression upon me. Why must one die?” 

“ Do you find life so beautiful, then? ” 

To-day it seems full of charm.” 

Then, why are you sad ? ” 

‘‘ Because I already see the end of my joy, as I 
have just seen that of human life.” 

“ But every end is a beginning, and one dies but to 
live again.” 

“ Are you so sure of that? ” 

“ Why, of course I am — Cicero affirms it in his im- 
mortal pages.” 

“ You are very happy to have this faith. But I 
almost believe that the Sadducees who deny the future 
life are right.” 

“ You have not then noticed, Onkelos, that there 
is life throughout all nature even amid the tombs? 
There are germs of life in the depths of the earth 
and the seas, as well as in the infinite spaces of Heaven. 
They are carried by mysterious winds to all beings 
without life and vivify them. And you think the 


ONKELOS AND CAMILLA i6i 

God who created this abundance of life for the most 
infinitesimal beings in nature would have made death 
eternal for man, His image, as your scriptures say? 
It is unreasonable/’ 

After a moment’s silence, Onkelos, fixing his great 
grey eyes upon her, said, — 

‘‘Speak again; this beautiful Latin tongue is like 
music from your lips, and every word goes straight to 
my heart. Life! O, yes, — speak to me of life! I 
want so much to believe in it, when I see everything 
about me dying — men and nations. Greece is dead 
and Rome is dying. Who will raise them up ? 
Alas, man is not like other beings. Life exists every- 
where in nature, because love is everywhere. The 
trees, the flowers, the animals, all obey the law of 
love. But men will not see, or if they do, they crush 
it under foot. Make me believe in love, Camilla, and 
I will believe in life.” 

Her sole response was, “ Here we are already at 
the Gate of Damascus. This walk has intensely in-' 
terested me, and I am grateful to you for having ac- 
companied me.” 

The sun had disappeared behind the heights of 
Bethesda, and the walls were hidden in shadow. The 
silhouette of crenelated towers, magnified by the mist 
which enveloped the city, was plainly drawn against 
the still blue sky. Higher up above Mount Zion, 
fleecy clouds floated like a rose-colored tent. Onkelos 
looked at them. 

“What do you seek in the firmament?” asked 
Camilla. 


THE CENTURION 


162 

I search for the first star and do not find it be- 
cause it is on earth. I dream of the child who 
imagines it can grasp the stars and keep them for him- 
self/’ 

Camilla pretended not to understand and asked 
Onkelos the latest news of Jesus of Nazareth. 

‘‘ He is still in Galilee/’ answered Onkelos. 

“ And will you become reconciled with Him ? ” 

‘‘No; His ideal of the Messianic kingdom is not 
mine ; and He will leave behind no lasting achievement. 
I recognize His genius and the extraordinary in- 
fluence He exercises over all who approach Him, but 
when He shall have disappeared, His apostles, who 
have no intellectual weight, nor any influence, nor 
plan of action, will be absolutely powerless to establish 
anything, no matter what it be.” 

“ That would be a misfortune,” answered Camilla, 
“ because He is a good Man, and it would be worth 
while to make at least a trial of His teachings.” 

Onkelos answered nothing. 

The two had arrived at the Tower of Antonia. 
Onkelos took his departure and disappeared under the 
portico of the Temple. 

He slept little during the night which followed. 
He had long ago known the disquiet of love and had 
thought himself forever cured. He prided himself on 
having placed his ideal higher. But with Camilla he 
felt rejuvenated and did not wish to suppress the 
feelings of his heart. In the morning, considering 
what might be the obstacle that separated them, he 


ONKELOS AND CAMILLA 163 

said to himself, Alas, yes ; there is a double obstacle 
between us; Rome and Jesus of Nazareth/’ 

There was a third, Caius, who was soon to become 
a dangerous rival. On her side, Camilla had but little 
sleep. She felt herself loved and enjoyed the sweet- 
ness of the experience, but there was much anxiety 
mingled with this happiness. She did not forget that 
Gamaliel, too, admired her, that he bore one of the 
best names in all Jerusalem, that his mind was bril- 
liant and that he spoke the language of Rome fluently. 
But Onkelos, though older, was of a fine Greek type, 
a scholar, eloquent, and of great reputation among 
the Doctors in Israel. It was evident Camilla could 
not quite know the meaning of love, for she weighed 
the advantages of each. A star shone in at her win- 
dow. For a long time she watched it, remembering 
with a delicious thrill that her new friend had com- 
pared her to a star a child found beautiful and wanted 
for himself. 

Love is the law, Onkelos told me. Yes, but whom 
shall I love?” Camilla was perplexed. 

The Book of Ruth was on her table. She opened it 
and read that delicious idyl with growing emotion. 
When she slept peacefully toward morning, she had 
made her choice, she had found it, in the inspired 
Book. I will love,” she thought, “ and I will marry 
him to whom I can say, ‘ Thy people shall be my 
people and thy God, my God.’ ” 


164 


THE CENTURION 


VI 

PATERNAL ADVICE 

D uring the days which followed, Camilla was 
much preoccupied with her future while the 
beautiful words of Ruth absorbed her mind; they 
seemed to her the true solution of the problem of her 
destiny. Not only Onkelos and Gamaliel were not of 
her race, but they were the declared enemies of her 
country, so that she could accept neither one nor the 
other as her husband. She wished, however, to con- 
sult her father on this subject and quoted the speech 
of the Moabite which he had never known. He ad- 
mired its wisdom and entirely approved the decision 
she had made. 

“ It is obvious,” he added, that the question of 
race is of great importance, when it comes to forming 
the indissoluble union of marriage. But the religious 
question is still more important, and I hope, Camilla, 
that thou wilt decide it with the same wisdom, should 
the occasion present itself. I thought I noticed that 
the Centurion, Caius, admired thee. Has he not 
shown his feelings ? ” 

“No, Father; he appears to enjoy my companion- 
ship, and I feel flattered by his attention; I admire his 
intelligence and noble character, but he has never 
given expression to me of anything but most cordial 
friendship.” 

“ He is a distinguished officer with a fine future and 
pleases me very much. It is true that he no longer 


PATERNAL ADVICE 


165 

has any faith in polytheism, and I regret it. This 
scepticism is, unfortunately, shared by a great number 
of the most cultivated minds of Rome; but I hope it 
will stop there and that Caius will not push his sym- 
pathy for Jesus of Nazareth, to such a point as to 
take Him for a God and worship Him. It would be 
an aberration which I could not tolerate and which 
would prevent my accepting him as a son.’’ 

‘‘But, Father—” 

“ It is a simple hypothesis. If it came to the point 
and were a fact, I am very sure that thou wouldst be 
the first to tell him that his God should not be thy God.” 

Camilla bowed before her father and answered noth- 
ing. She understood everything, above all what her 
father had not said. For a long time she remained 
plunged in reverie, feeling that a great misfortune 
threatened her. Did Caius Oppius really love her? 
Her father evidently thought so, but what did he 
know? And if Caius loved her, why did he not de- 
clare his love? Perhaps he had formed other ties 
during his stay in Galilee. She thought she recalled 
that one day Gamaliel, in the presence of Caius, had 
made allusion to a beautiful Galilean with whom the 
Centurion of Magdala had been enchanted. W ell, has 
not Solomon the Wise said, — 

“There is a time for everything, 

A time for silence and a time to speak, 

Wisdom disposes of all with gentleness.” 

These thoughts put an end to Camilla’s reverie. 


i66 


THE CENTURION 


VII 

CONFIDENCES 

C AIUS on his part reflected with much wisdom, 
saying to himself the time had not yet come. 
He was not insensible to the attractiveness of Camilla, 
whom he had known as a child and found again in 
Jerusalem, grown up and lovely. It was no longer 
the rosebud in the Gardens of the Aventine, it was 
the developed flower in all the freshness of its color- 
ing and delicacy of its perfume. A rare distinction 
gave a finishing touch to her beauty. A lovely smile 
added wonderful charm to her expression, and her 
exquisite choice of words showed her intellectual 
culture. 

From the first, Caius had been attracted, but had 
observed that others as well yielded to the charms 
of this beautiful Roman. This star already had 
two satellites which moved close to her, Gamaliel and 
Onkelos. He must, then, suppress the beating of his 
heart, remain master of himself and not expose him- 
self to a rejection by prematurely showing his love. 

Lodged in the barracks of the Tower of Antonia, 
he often had occasion to go to the palace of the Gov- 
ernor for a little chat with the two sisters, Claudia 
and Camilla. Sometimes he accompanied them in 
their walks to the bazaars of the Tyropaeon or around 
the vestibule of the Temple, under the big marble 
porticoes, where they found either sun or shade ac- 
cording to their wish. There they often spoke of 


CONFIDENCES 


167 


Rome, of the friends they had left, of the amusements 
they had enjoyed long ago and the events which were 
passing there at the time. They spoke of the com- 
ing of the Messiah and of the more or less uncertain 
issue of the opposition of the priesthood to Jesus of 
Nazareth. The walks they took together in the en- 
virons of Jerusalem became more and more frequent 
and full of charm. 

One day, Caius and Camilla went on horseback to 
Mt. Olivet. At the turn of the road, on the summit 
of the southern slope, they stopped to admire the in- 
comparable picture presented by Jerusalem from these 
heights; the colonnades of the Temple rising in unison 
about the escarpment of Mt. Moriah, the high tes- 
sellated walls which seemed to be joined to the de- 
clivity of Ophel, the palaces, the Tower of David and 
his monumental tomb crowning Mt. Zion, all this 
marvelous architectural beauty overhanging the two 
abysses of the Cedron and the Gehenna. Resuming 
their way, they soon arrived in sight of Bethany, and 
Camilla asked the Centurion what was the castle the 
high tower of which dominated the humble village. 

It is the residence of a rich and excellent Jew, 
named Lazarus,” answered Caius. 

‘‘ Do you know him personally ? ” 

‘‘Yes; I have met him several times in Jerusalem, 
but have never gone to his house. He is a friend of 
Joseph of Arimathea, of Prince Nicodemus and 
especially of Jesus of Nazareth.” 

“ Do you mean to say he is His disciple ? ” 

“ I mean more than that, because a very intimate 


i68 


THE CENTURION 


friendship unites them. The prophet is his guest 
every time He comes to preach in Jerusalem. They 
seem about the same age.’' 

'' Has he a family ? ” 

He is a celibate and lives with his two sisters.” 

“ Do you know them? ” 

‘‘ I knew the younger one last year at Magdala. 
Her name is Myriam, and her beauty is wonderful. 
I was madly in love with her for several weeks.” 

“ Love at first sight then ? ” 

Yes, truly.” 

‘‘ You have never told me about it.” 

‘‘ A soldier never boasts of his defeats.” 

‘‘ How is that; she rejected you? ” 

Completely and definitely.” 

“But this is much more interesting; was it very 
dramatic ? ” 

“ No. You would like me to tell you about my ad- 
venture, would you not?” 

“ I do not dare ask you to tell me.” 

“ Well, then — I will give it to you.” 

And in a few words Caius told the little romance 
my readers know. “Well,” said Camilla when he 
had finished the story, “ I would like to know this 
woman.” 

“ It will be easy for you, but you must forgive me 
if I do not offer myself as intermediary, I retain 
only a feeling of the deepest respect for her and do 
not wish to take any step which she could construe 
into abnormal curiosity.” 

“ I understand you, Caius ; it is a feeling of discre- 


CONFIDENCES 


169 

tion and of delicacy that keeps you away from her.” 

Caius made a sign of assent, and the two friends 
turned their horses’ heads toward the north. They 
rode around the Mount of Olives and returned to 
Jerusalem by the Valley of Jehosaphat, where more 
than twenty generations slept their last sleep. The 
appearance of this vast cemetery made them silent and 
sad. 

It was in the evening of that same day that Camilla 
wrote this description of the Valley of Jehosaphat in 
her journal : 

“ How quiet and sad is this solitary valley ! It re- 
sembles the ‘ Field of Tears ’ described by Virgil in 
his Hades; and the Cedron with its meagre thread of 
water recalls the Lethe. Though noisy enough, it is 
a sad and dreary stream. It does not sing, but moans, 
and makes its painful way across the venerable tombs, 
the rocks and mountains, in ravines where the sun 
never shines, and then goes to lose itself in an ocean 
of forgetfulness called the Dead Sea. I no longer 
find in this narrow valley the solitary groves of whis- 
pering trees. . . . ‘In valle reducta seclusum 

nemus et virgulta sonantia silvis.’ But on the border 
of the Cedron as around the Lethe, I seem to see flying 
the souls of innumerable generations. . . . ‘ Hinc 

circum innumeratse gentes populique volabant.’ The 
murmuring woods are replaced by a forest of funeral 
monuments and silent tombs. 

“ In crossing this lugubrious valley, I am reminded 
that the old Anchises gave an answer to his son 
iEneas only after having drunk the ‘ long forgetful- 


170 


THE CENTURION 


ness ’ ‘ Longa oblivia ’ that souls would live again in 
other bodies ‘ Animae, quibus altera fato corpora 
debenture 

Resurrection. The future life ! Behold the 
great problem for which scholar and philosopher 
vainly seek a solution. Who can tell what we will 
become after death? We see well what becomes of 
the body, and this fact carries with it little conviction 
of immortality. Nevertheless, the hope of a future 
life still forces itself upon us. The prophet, Jesus 
of Nazareth, preaches of life without end in a king- 
dom not of this world. But He does not base His 
teaching on a study of science and philosophy; He 
pretends to know it of Himself because His Father 
is God, and He and His Father are One!’^ 


VIII 

MYRIAM AND CAMILLA 

S EVERAL days later, Camilla proposed to her 
father to visit the family of Bethany, accom- 
panied by Prince Nicodemus. Martha and her 
brother received them with courteous simplicity and 
chatted pleasantly. But Myriam did not show her- 
self. Camilla having expressed a great wish to see 
her, Martha approached her while the three men talked 
together and spoke with lowered voice, saying: 

‘‘ My sister is a widow. Formerly she was very 
worldly, but she lives to-day the life of a recluse. She 
consents to see no one, except when Jesus of Nazareth 


MYRIAM AND CAMILLA 


171 

comes to us. She never goes out unless veiled in 
black to pray at the Temple when she hopes that our 
Friend will preach there.” 

But Camilla would not be repulsed. She renewed 
her visits to Martha, won her good graces by making 
her speak of Jesus of Nazareth and then insisted upon 
meeting Myriam. 

‘‘ Tell your sister that it is not idle curiosity on 
my part, but that I want to talk to her particularly of 
Jesus of Nazareth. Tell her that I fully share her 
admiration of the Great Prophet and perhaps shall 
join the number of His disciples, when I shall have 
learned to know Him.” 

Myriam could not remain deaf to this pressing ap- 
peal, and, from the time of their first interview, the 
two women felt themselves unconsciously drawn 
towards each other. Camilla was struck by Myriam’s 
great beauty, but it appeared as if she were ashamed 
of this gift as of a defect and that she tried to veil 
its radiance. She had no intellectual culture other 
than what she had gathered from reading the Sacred 
Scriptures, but she had great distinction of mind and 
spoke both Greek and Hebrew well. Hers was a 
more ardent and enthusiastic nature than that of 
Camilla. Sensible to beauty in all its forms, she felt 
an instinctive attraction toward the ideal. 

At their second meeting, they held a long conversa- 
tion. These two elect souls commenced with abso- 
lute confidence and communicated to each other their 
inmost feelings. After having asked Myriam a great 
many questions about Jesus of Nazareth, Camilla said 


172 


THE CENTURION 


to her, Myriarn, I want to confide in you and ask 
your advice. For several weeks one of the officers 
of the Roman cohort stationed in Jerusalem has been 
paying me attentions I cannot misunderstand. In a 
word, I believe he loves me sincerely, and this man 
you know.’^ 

‘‘ I ? ” asked Myriarn in astonishment. 

“ Yes,’’ answerd Camilla, he told me he had met 
you at Magdala when he was stationed in the garrison 
there. It is the Centurion, Caius Oppius.” 

“ Yes, I remember that officer; but why do you make 
this confidence to me ? ” 

‘‘ I am going to tell you in all sincerity ; he told me 
that he had been in love with you and that you re- 
pulsed him. I want to know what there was in him 
to displease you.” 

‘‘ But Camilla, I hardly knew him, and, despite his 
culture and distinction, showed him plainly that any 
relation between us was impossible. That is all.” 

“ But, why did you treat him so ? ” 

‘‘ Because I no longer belong to the world, Ca- 
milla.” 

“ What do you mean? Do you expect to tear from 
your heart all human feeling?” 

“ No, human love will never again take possession 
of my heart.” 

And the Prophet do you not love Him ? ” 

‘‘ Yes, certainly, but there is nothing human in this 
love. It is not enough to say I love Him ; — I adore 
Him, He is my one love; He is my all; He is my 
God.” 


MYRIAM AND CAMILLA 


173 

Does this love you have for Him exclude all other 
love ? ” 

‘‘ Yes7^ 

Could I not love Him and at the same time accept 
the devotion of Caius Oppius?’^ 

But, Camilla, these two loves are not incompatible, 
because they are not of the same nature. If you wish 
to enter into the state of matrimony, there is nothing 
to oppose your loving the Centurion with the most 
tender love and also loving the Prophet with the ador- 
ing love which is only due to God.’^ 

“ Well, can you not do the same thing? ” 

Oh, for me, Camilla, I am not like you. My past 
is a sad one which you do not know and which I have 
drowned in my tears. I misunderstood love. I dragged 
it in the mire, and it will take a lifetime of sacrifice 
to efface the stains which have sullied my soul. I am 
not worthy of this chaste love you can have for the 
Centurion; all I can hope for is that through my 
repentance the Prophet will give me back the purity I 
have lost. This is why I want to consecrate my entire 
life and all the feelings that may still be left in my 
poor heart to Him.'' 

‘‘And does this exclusive giving of yourself, this 
extraordinary love which appears so mysterious, bring 
you any happiness ? " 

There are days when my soul is comforted and 
refreshed by a hope that carries me up to the heights 
like a dove lifted by the wind of the sea. There the 
noises of earth cannot reach me, I lose sight of it and 

enter into an atmosphere of joy which I cannot 
12 


174 


THE CENTURION 


describe. But I also have days of depression and self- 
abasement. The Spirit of Evil then tries to inspire 
me with discouragement and despair.” 

‘‘ And could not your Well-Beloved, if He be God, 
spare you these trials ? ” 

“ He could, but He does not wish to do so, because I 
must expiate my sin by suffering.” 

But at least He sends you consolation ? ” 

‘‘ You cannot know with what interior consolation 
He overwhelms me. My loves of other days gave me 
but incomplete joy, fleeting and troubled, followed by 
remorse, disgust and pain. They humiliated and low- 
ered me and I despised myself, because I felt degraded 
to the level of the brute. But the love I have for Him 
is of another kind, and the effect which it produces is 
altogether different. It raises, consoles, ennobles me. 
In finding it, I have regained myself and a little of my 
lost dignity.” 

Your sister tells me that you weep a great deal in 
spite of all this.” 

Oh, yes, and I would weep even more, — I would 
bathe myself in tears. But there is happiness in the 
tears of repentance, because by purifying me they 
draw me closer to Him whom I love. When I recall 
my past life, I feel unworthy of Him and am grieved, 
but I think this grief pleases Him because it is proof 
of my love, and I feel then that He Himself loves me 
a little better.” 

You suffer though? ” 

‘‘ Oh, yes ; and the more I suffer, the more I wish 
to suffer, because my sorrow makes my joy.” 


MYRIAM AND CAMILLA 


1 75 


It is very strange.” 

“ It is strange for you who do not understand the 
nature of the feeling which draws me to Jesus of 
Nazareth. Formerly I thirsted for love as I do 
to-day, but sought it in paths which lead away from 
true love, from the love which is perfect. This is 
what the Prophet of Nazareth has made me under- 
stand, and now I am on the opposite path. I taste 
this ideal love which gives itself entirely to the be- 
loved object in order to be altogether transformed by 
it.” 

‘‘ Oh, Myriam, I do not understand. You speak 
a language unknown to me.” 

‘‘ Perhaps. Because this love of which I speak 
transforms the human being. It draws it close to the 
divine being and makes it speak a superhuman lan- 
guage, but when you come to love Jesus of Nazareth, 
you too will understand this language.” 

Oh, Myriam, you open a horizon too vast for my 
feeble intelligence. I cannot follow you upon the 
heights to which you soar, but all that you tell me does 
me good. I feel myself better. May I come to see 
you again? ” 

Whenever you wish. But tell me, what are the 
feelings of your friend Caius for Jesus?” 

“ He admires Him, he champions Him, and I should 
not be surprised if he became His disciple.” 

Then love him well, this brave Centurion, and be- 
come like him a disciple of Jesus.” 


176 


THE CENTURION 


IX 

vows 

A SHORT time after this visit of Camilla to 
Myriam of Bethany, the Procurator decided 
to spend a couple of months in Caesarea. Claudia 
Procla, Camilla and their father followed him. The 
month of June in the year of Rome 782 drew to its 
close, and it was very warm throughout all Palestine. 
But at Caesarea, the breezes from the sea gave life to 
the atmosphere, and great sycamore trees shaded the 
‘‘ Marina ” which ran along the coast. 

Caius remained in Jerusalem and was separated 
from Camilla nearly two months. The Governor 
enjoyed perfect tranquillity in Caesarea while Jerusalem 
was at peace. But with the month of September, he 
prepared to return to the Holy City. The feast of 
Tabernacles was approaching, and popular uprisings 
were always to be feared during the epoch of these 
great assemblies of pilgrims in Jerusalem. 

Caius was ordered to report at Caesarea with several 
cohorts to form an escort for the Governor and his 
family on the day of their return. He was delighted, 
and next day toward evening arrived in Caesarea. 
The heat had been intense, and he hastened to the ter- 
race to breathe the sea air. The sun was about to 
sink beneath the waves. The red disc stood out in 
bold relief at the base of the purple horizon. 

He was gazing enraptured at the beautiful scene, 
when he noticed a woman, her back turned to 


vows 


177 


him, leaning against one of the pillars of the balus- 
trade. She, too, was admiring the beauty of the pic- 
ture, and the breeze from the sea ruffled the stray 
curls of her hair. She was too much absorbed in 
contemplation to perceive that some one drew near, 
and she did not turn. But Caius easily recognized 
her. What other woman had such a noble head, such 
distinction of attitude and a face so lovely that even 
the last rays of the sun gathered around her as if to 
set her in a frame of gold. 

Is it Italy you look for — there beyond the sea? ” 
said he stepping forward and greeting her. 

It is Rome,’’ answered Camilla, as she turned, 
giving Caius a long look, “You have just come?” 
she asked. “ What news do you bring us of Jeru- 
salem ? ” 

“ Do you want me to tell you of worldly, political, 
military or religious news ? ” 

“Tell of the Messianic question; it interests me 
most.” 

“ It is no longer a simple question ; it is one of the 
gravest of conflicts, an implacable dispute between 
Jesus of Nazareth and the Sanhedrim.” 

“And the disciples of the Prophet — are they men 
upon whom He can count? Have they any learning, 
influence or resources with which to establish their 
system ? ” 

“ None. They- are poor men of the people, with- 
out instruction, who have to this day remained un- 
known, possessing ho power whatever over public 
opinion.” 


178 


THE CENTURION 


“ In that case He could not rely on them to make 
the foundation He announces ? 

Evidently not.” 

''And He Himself shall found it during His life- 
time?” 

“ He will not have time to do so, because He warned 
His disciples the other day that He was going to Je- 
rusalem and that there He would be put to death.” 

Then His work will cease when it has scarcely 
begun, and he will confide its execution to poor igno- 
rant men radically helpless to build anything at all.” 

Camilla, you must not judge this Man as others 
are judged. He employs for His success none of 
the means used to this day by wise and clever men. 
Why could He not upset all the principles of human 
wisdom as He overturns the laws of nature? If He 
be God, He must prove His divinity to man. Now if 
He found for Himself a lasting work with the means 
and instruments He employs. He will prove it better 
than by His miracles.” 

Do you believe, then, in His divinity, Caius ? ” 

Not yet, but I am not far from believing in it. 
And you ? ” 

“ Oh, I do not know Him, but I feel a deep sympa- 
thy for Him. He attracts me, and the injustice of 
the Pharisees toward Him revolts me. What does 
He do but good wherever He passes? What mira- 
cles that are not good works does He perform? ” 

That is well thought, Camilla, and I am glad to 
hear you express these sentiments. I was afraid you 
might be drawn into the camp of the Prophet’s ene- 


vows 


179 

mies by the Governor, by Gamaliel and above all by 
Onkelos.” 

But why do you fear I should submit to the influ- 
ence of Gamaliel and Onkelos? ” 

“ Because you have been more or less intimate with 
them both, because they are supposed to be authori- 
ties on all questions regarding Messianism and at last 
because — ’’ 

“ Well, then, what is the third because? ” 

Because I know they both admire you very much/’ 

“If that is the case, it is I who should have an in- 
fluence over them and not they over me.” 

“ It may be reciprocal.” 

“ Which should be reciprocal — influence or admi- 
ration ? ” 

“ Both.” 

“ But in what way does this interest you ? ” 

“ Oh, Camilla, look at this immense sea with its 
limitless horizon; we see nothing beyond it, neverthe- 
less we know that over there lies a blessed land we both 
love, our common home, which has been the cradle of 
our childhood and whose name alone awakens dear 
memories in us. Is not this enough to keep anything 
concerning you far from being indifferent to me.” 

“ Why then have you delayed so long in talking to 
me of this bond of sympathy that draws us to- 
gether ? ” 

“ In our military campaigns we sometimes come to 
a city whose doors we believe to be open when in 
reality they are closed and guarded. We then stay at 
a distance.” 


i8o 


THE CENTURION 


“ But I thought, in that case you laid siege to it ? 

Yes, but the position of the besieger is always 
difficult, and the campaign must be carried on with 
wisdom and deliberation. These were the tactics of 
our Fabius.” 

And what do all these words really mean ? 

“ They mean I have acted towards you as I would 
in the case of a city to be taken, and I am trying to 
find from what quarter to begin the attack.’^ 

“ Don’t you think it would be wiser first to assure 
yourself whether or no the gates are in the power of 
the enemy ? ” 

‘‘ Ah, Camilla, you alone can tell me that, and you 
take pleasure in torturing me, leaving me in uncer- 
tainty ! ” 

Well, then, Caius, you are in the presence of a 
Free City, and its gates are not open to all comers.” 

*Hf it be free, and if its gates may be opened by 
other means than violence, it is all I want.” 

‘‘ And what other means would you use in this 
case? ” 

Peaceful negotiations.” 

That lead you to what ? ” 

To a cordial understanding and perhaps even to 
an alliance.” 

I begin to believe that you are more of a diplo- 
mat than a soldier.” 

I only war against the enemies of my country.” 

Camilla started to walk slowly along close to the 
balustrade that faced the sea. Caius walked at her 


vows 


i8i 


side and both were silent. Their eyes did not sound 
the depths of the ocean but the abyss of their own 
hearts. The sun had set and night had spread its mys- 
terious veil over all the world, which grew darker and 
still more dark. The evening breeze scarcely stirred, 
and the waves softly sang their plaintive and monot- 
onous nocturne. Orange blossoms impregnated the 
air with their sweetness, and the stars that lighted 
the firmament threw their diamond-like brilliancy over 
the sea. The silence of the two lasted a long time. 
Camilla finally spoke. 

“If you have nothing more to say to me, Caius, let 
us go in.’' 

“ Not yet, Camilla, I have a thousand things to tell 
you.” 

“ Tell me just one.” 

“ Yes, dear, there is one that contains all the 
others. I love you, Camilla. For a long time this 
feeling has grown in my heart, and these words have 
tried to escape my lips. I was waiting a more pro- 
pitious hour, the hour which decides destinies. But 
it seems this hour has come. If I still believed in 
our gods, I should say that they had prepared this day 
for me, and I do not want it to escape. You have 
lifted the weight that oppressed my heart, you have 
torn away that which condemned me to silence. Since 
you are free, I also am free. My power to speak de- 
pended altogether on the freedom of your heart to 
hear. I beg you, Camilla, if there are any other bar- 
riers between us, do not take this moment to reveal 


THE CENTURION 


182 

them. Do not destroy the charm of this delicious 
hour, given me wherein to open my heart to you in the 
hope that bids it love — and live.’’ 

I do not doubt the sincerity of your love, Caius, 
but the more sincere it be, the more grave is it in its 
consequences. You have said this is a decisive hour, 
a time which will make an epoch in our lives. You 
ask me to give you hope, and why should I take it 
away from you, when it seems that everything draws 
us together, patriotic feeling, family relations, the 
search for truth superior to that which has been 
bequeathed us, aspiration toward a divine ideal which 
remains for us unknown. If this community of feel- 
ing and affection does not exist between us, it means 
that I scarcely know you. I do not wish to pro- 
nounce the word love, because it frightens me, and 
when you dared say, ‘ I love you, Camilla,’ I felt a 
pang that still stifles me. You have opened the door 
of an unexplored world, under a sky at once full of 
stars and dark with clouds. Let me stop on the 
threshold of this unknown land, on the border of this 
sea of deceiving mirages whose sands are known by 
its shipwrecks. Let us prove our hearts, Caius, or 
rather let us raise them above terrestrial horizons. 
My heart is free, it is true, but my will must be sub- 
mitted to that of my father, and I can say nothing be- 
fore I have spoken to him.” 

‘‘ You are right, and I too wish to speak to him. 
Your words, Camilla, have given me wings, and I 
shall follow you to the luminous heights to which you 
soar, and if on these heights we meet with the ‘ Un- 


C^SAREA TO JERUSALEM 183 

known God ’ to whom the Athenians have raised a 
Temple, He will be our God.” Then they entered the 
house and two days later left for Jerusalem. 


X 

FROM C^SAREA TO JERUSALEM 

T he little journey which lasted three days was 
very pleasant for Gains and Camilla. Pilate 
and his father-in-law, Claudius, went on ahead, leaving 
Camilla and Claudia, who wished to stop at Sebaste 
and Shechem to follow. Caius was ordered to ac- 
company them with a few of his legionaries. The 
road follows a rough country full of historical inter- 
est, which the Centurion described to his traveling 
companions as they rode along in the delicious atmos- 
phere. Two legionaries on horseback led the way. 
Then came the Centurion and the two ladies followed 
by five other horsemen. From time to time they 
^topped in the villages, and the Samaritans brought 
them figs and oranges with fresh water and wine. 
Camilla asked about their families and manner of liv- 
ing, taking lively interest in their answers. “ And the 
Messiah,” she asked them, “ do you expect Him in 
Samaria? ” 

He has come,” they answered, last year He spent 
two days at Shechem, and all who heard believed in 
Him.” 

What did he teach you ? ” 

He taught us that it does not matter whether one 


184 


THE CENTURION 


adores God in one place more than in another, in Je- 
rusalem or on Mount Gerizim, but that one must adore 
Him in spirit and truth.” 

It was all more than interesting to Camilla. On 
his part, Caius was enchanted to be traveling in such 
delightful companionship. Claudia and Camilla were 
excellent horsewomen, and Caius sometimes dropped 
behind to watch them as they rode, then he would 
gallop up to them to point out the beauties of the 
country. 

“ Nevertheless,” said Camilla, ‘‘ our Italian land- 
scape is far more beautiful.” 

“ Perhaps so, but this scenery has an unusual charm 
for me. See these undulating hills that tremble under 
the caresses of the sun. Notice the reflection of light 
melting into the far away blue of the skies. Study 
the architectural effects of these great trees bordering 
our path. They unite all styles of arches, capitals 
and vaulted ceilings. Never have I been so carried 
away with the beauties of nature.” 

Compose some poetry for us ; you seem to be in 
the mood. Sing of the enchanting country of Mag- 
dala and the beautiful Myriam.” 

Do not ridicule me, Camilla ; Magdala has its 
beauties, but there I was alone. No heart there was 
to beat in tune with mine. To-day I am no longer 
alone. Between the beauties of nature and myself 
there is a sympathetic bond that you and you alone 
have created.” . . . 

‘‘ Oh,” cried Claudia, see that beautiful city rising 
on the horizon. It is like an immense stone pyramid.” 


C^SAREA TO JERUSALEM 185 

“ It is the ancient city of Samaria/' said Cains, 
‘‘ which Herod the Great repaired, enlarged and beau- 
tified and which he named Sebaste in honor of Au- 
gutus. From the spot where we stand, it gives the 
effect of a pyramid, because it is built upon a 
hill six hundred feet in height, its summit being 
crowned by both a citadel and temple, also in honor 
of Augustus. Ancient Samaria was the capital of 
the kingdom of Israel. It had its days of glory, but 
they finished in dire tragedy. During the reign of 
an impious king called Achab, it abandoned the wor- 
ship of Jehovah and built a temple to Baal on the spot 
where you now see that of Augustus. Jehovah was 
patient, but in the end chastised Israel. The Assyr- 
ians were the instruments of His justice. Salmansar 
destroyed Samaria and led the schismatic tribes into 
captivity; all their beautiful country became a desert, 
colonists from Persia and Media coming to establish 
themselves here. They brought their idols with them, 
while the Israelites who had escaped captivity per- 
sisted in their heresy. Little by little these different 
races were blended together and, while preserving 
certain superstitions and idolatrous practices, the new 
Samaritans pretended to embrace the religion of Je- 
hovah. They even offered to contribute toward the 
construction of the temple of Jerusalem, but the Jev/s 
refused this with scorn. They then built for them- 
selves a temple to Jehovah on Mt. Gerizim. Since 
then the Samaritans and the Jews have treated each 
other as enemies." 

“ Your story is very interesting, Gains, it is not my 


i86 


THE CENTURION 


sister and I who give the attraction to this beautiful 
country, but you, who reveal so well its historic inter- 
est/' 

“ I ask but one thing, that I may please you and 
give you a share of my great joy.” 

The little caravan had arrived at Sebaste. There 
they visited the Acropolis, the temple of Augustus, 
the fortifications, where they had the pleasure of find- 
ing a great number of Roman soldiers, and then the 
ruins of ancient Samaria. But it was the picturesque 
site of the new city they admired above all. The sun 
was rapidly dropping toward the horizon, the trav- 
elers remounted their horses and, crossing the valley 
which extends from the west to the east, between Mt. 
Gerizim on the south and Ebal on the north, arrived 
at Shechem. There they had some little trouble in 
finding a suitable inn where at last they spent the 
night. Next morning three attendants with donkeys 
were at the door of the inn with their little grey beasts 
already saddled. Caius had engaged them to make 
the ascent of Mt. Gerizim. Claudia and Camilla were 
enchanted with his plan. The little donkeys were 
prettily caparisoned. Red cockades with bells adorned 
their heads, while the brown leather saddles were cov- 
ered with cushions of red silk' damask. They gaily 
ate breakfast and afterwards began their journey. 

The Valley of Shechem is the most fertile of the 
oases in this desert-like Oriental country. It must 
have been this that Moses saw in his prophetic visions, 
when he described the Promised Land with such en- 
thusiasm. Lying between Mt. Ebal, which protects it 


C^SAREA TO JERUSALEM 


187 


against the north wind, and Mt. Gerizim, which sup- 
plies it with abundant streams of water, it was like a 
resplendent cradle. The sun from its rising to its 
setting warms it throughout the entire day. The Sa- 
maritans believe it to be the terrestrial paradise where 
God put the first man. Camilla seemed bubbling over 
with child-like gaiety and the joy of living. Spurred 
on by his keeper, the little animal on which she rode, 
trotted joyously ahead of all the others. Then she 
laughingly cried to them, ‘‘Hurry, hurry; Festi- 
nate.^’ Claudia urged on her mount and in turn led 
the rest. Caius rode by Camilla’s side, and said to 
her, — 

“ This is how I should like to make the journey of 
life.” 

“ On the back of a donkey ? ” asked Camilla with a 
burst of laughter. 

“ Oh, no, they go too fast. I should want to travel 
by your side on foot and slowly that the journey 
might last a long time — a very long time ! ” 

“ But the path of life is not always as beautiful as 
this one.” 

“ Do not take away my illusions. See how beau- 
tiful and smiling is this tranquil valley spread out in 
all its fulness before our eyes, with its forest of half- 
grown trees, from which rises the song of life and 
love. It seems an image of our future.” 

“ You are full of sentiment and poetry to-day. Let 
the historian speak in place of the poet, tell me rather 
some of the great events which took place in this poetic 
and fertile valley.” 


i88 


THE CENTURION 


With pleasure,’’ answered Caius, and they stopped 
just under the slope of the mountain. 

The oldest events history recounts,” said Caius, 
‘‘go back two thousand years. At that time, the 
patriarch Jacob was Shepherd King of all this country. 
His history is full of catastrophes and dramatic 
scenes it would take too long to tell. I might also 
tell of his son Joseph, who was betrayed and sold by 
his brethren, led into Egypt, where he became the 
steward of one of the most powerful of the Pharaohs. 
His tomb is beyond this hill, over there at the foot of 
the valley. I would rather tell you of something not so 
old. You will admire its grandeur as I do. It goes 
back, however, fifteen centuries, seven centuries before 
the foundation of Rome. Joshua had achieved the 
conquest of the Promised Land and, following the in- 
structions received from Moses, wished Israel to renew 
the alliance it had formed with Jehovah. He led the 
twelve tribes, forming an army of six hundred thou- 
sand men, into this valley, at the foot of which he had 
placed the ark of the covenant. He ranged six tribes, 
forming three hundred thousand men, on the side of 
Mt. Ebal, and the other six tribes facing them on the 
slope of Gerizim. He, himself, took his stand by the 
side of the Ark of the Covenant, where he was sur- 
rounded by Priests and Levites. Then turning toward 
Mt. Gerizim, he proclaimed in a loud voice the twdve 
blessings promised by Jehovah, should Israel observe 
His commandments. Listen to the first two, — 

“ ‘ If thou obeyest the voice of Jehovah, thy God, 


C^SAREA TO JERUSALEM 189 

thou shalt be blest in the city and thou shalt be blest 
in the fields/ 

“ ‘ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the 
fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy flocks. . . 

‘‘ And to each one of these benedictions the six tribes 
on Mt. Gerizim answered with a loud cry, ‘ Amen.’ 

‘‘ And turning then towards Mt. Ebal, Joshua pro- 
nounced twelve curses against the violators of the 
law. 

‘‘ ‘ If thou dost not obey the voice of Jehovah, thy 
God, thou shalt be cursed in the city and cursed in 
the fields. 

‘ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the 
fruit of thy lands, and the fruit of thy flocks. . . .’ 

And the three hundred thousand men on Mt. Ebal 
answered each malediction with the same unanimous 
cry, ‘ Amen.’ ” 

‘^What a marvelous sight that must have been,” 
said Camilla. 

“ How grand, imposing and solemn,” added 
Claudia. 

“ Did not this valley and these mountains deserve 
a visit ? ” asked Caius. 

Oh, yes,” said Camilla, “ and we do not know how 
to thank you.” 

On the summit of the mountain they found the ruins 
of the ancient temple and the altar on which the 
Samaritans still came to offer sacrifice. They could 
see over all the surrounding country, from the Jordan 
to the Mediterranean. Then they descended into the 
13 


190 


THE CENTURION 


plain with perfect confidence in the careful steps of 
their donkeys. Caius led them to the wells of Jacob. 

‘‘ What are these wells/' asked Camilla, ‘‘ and why 
do we stop here ? ” 

“ This is the well dug more than two thousand years 
ago by the patriarch Jacob, one of the ancestors of 
Jesus of Nazareth; and it is here that the prophet 
began last year His wondrous preaching." 

Caius then described to his companions the meeting 
of Jesus with the Samaritan Photina on this spot and 
the conversation of the Shechemites. The two women 
listened to this story with an interest mingled with 
emotion. Claudia walked away to gather some of 
the flowers which shone amid the green grass, while 
Camilla seated herself on the edge of the well, 
saying, — 

This Photina is very happy to have received the 
‘ Gift of God.’ ’’ 

And you, Camilla, will receive it when the hour 
shall have come. So many things happen which one 
cannot foresee. I never foresaw it, but I have longed 
for this exquisite meeting given me to-day near this 
well which witnessed so long ago so many vows of 
love. I can hardly stammer my feelings for you, 
Camilla, but you understand me perfectly without 
words. Do not speak. Some day, I hope, we will 
meet again on the banks of the Tiber in our Rome we 
love so well, and there we will have the same God just 
as we have the same country. Who will this God 
be ? I have a presentiment that it will be He who sat 
where you are seated. Who teaches the religion 


THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 191 


of love and the adoration in the spirit in every place, 
in all languages, throughout all nations/' 

Camilla closed her eyes and a tear fell on her hand. 
Caius caught this hand and kissed it. 

‘‘If all tears were as sweet it would be happiness 
to weep," he said. Camilla smiled a little sadly. 

During the evening Caius succeeded in finding 
Photina and in bringing her to the inn. Claudia and 
Camilla made her recount her meeting with Jesus of 
Nazareth and their excitement was great. As she 
finished the Samaritan woman said, 

“ With what joy I look forward to seeing the 
Prophet again! We leave to-morrow by caravan for 
Jerusalem, where we expect to assist at the feast of 
Tabernacles, and Jesus will surely come." 

The next day, towards evening, Claudia, Camilla 
and Caius entered Jerusalem by the gate of Joppa. 


XI 

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 

I T is difficult to form any idea of the great religious 
festivals which bring such immense crowds into 
Jerusalem and make such deep impressions on the 
faithful believers in Jehovah. The two greatest festi- 
vals of the year were the Feast of the Passover in 
the spring and that of Tabernacles in the autumn. 
The first recalled the departure from Egypt and the 
second the forty years' wandering through the desert. 
The Tabernacles were not cloth tents. According to 


192 


THE CENTURION 


the instructions in Leviticus, they were to be made o£ 
palm branches, wild olive, myrtle and other leafy 
trees; sturdy poles driven into the ground along two 
parallel lines and joined at the summit, tied and cov- 
ered again with palm leaves or grasses ; this was their 
ordinary form. The great tents were divided into 
three parts by curtains. The one at the foot was re- 
served for women, that in the centre for the men of 
the family, and the ante-chamber was occupied by the 
servants. 

At the door of the tent, in a triangle formed by three 
stones, burned a fire which served to cook the food 
and around which the people gathered in the evening 
to chat, to tell stories or to read the old tales of the 
Scriptures. 

Pilgrims coming together from the same city or 
village gathered on the heights where their tents were 
placed in a circle. In the center, was always tO' be 
found the leader of the caravan, whose tent was gen- 
erally larger than the rest. Both for the offering of 
sacrifices and for the feeding of the pilgrims, each 
caravan had its flock of sheep, of calves and even of 
oxen, cared for by shepherds. Long before the feast 
days, caravans could be seen arriving in all direc- 
tions from the cities of Judea and Galilee, from 
Persea, from the sea-shore and from Liban. It was 
a peaceful and happy invasion which took possession 
of all the surrounding country of Jerusalem and es- 
pecially of the heights. The great joy of the pilgrims 
was to see from the elevation of their camps the vast 
porticoes and cupola of their well-beloved Temple, to 


THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 193 


see the smoke of the sacrifices rising in columns above 
the walls night and day from the altar of Holocausts ; 
to hear the joyful flourish of sacred trumpets calling 
the people to the ceremonies. 

Jerusalem was thus surrounded by an immense city 
of leafy tents, gathered on the summits of Mt. Olivet, 
Bethesda and Scopas, in the principal part of the 
Valley of Jehosaphat, on the slope of Ophel and the 
summit of Mt. Zion. Even within the walls of the 
city, all the children of Israel were bound by Leviti- 
cus to celebrate the feast by living for seven days in 
tents made of leaves. They built them on the ter- 
races of their houses, in their gardens, in the public 
places and especially at the gate of ‘‘ The Waters ” and 
that of ‘‘ Ephraim.’’ 

This great festival, in which more than a million 
Jews took part, had been instituted in memory of the 
years that the Israelites had spent under tents in the 
Arabian desert after their departure from Egypt. 
For eight days the Temple was filled with pilgrims, 
and the most solemn religious ceremonies there re- 
called the wonders accomplished by Jehovah in favor 
of His people. 

Every morning twenty-one blasts of the trumpet 
reverberated from the summit of the crenelated earth- 
works and from the porticoes. Then a procession 
of priests, Levites and the faithful formed and de- 
scended the slope of Ophel as far as the fountain of 
Siloah and returned with a golden vase filled with 
fresh water which, while hymns were being sung, was 
poured by the officiating pontiff on the altar of Holo- 


194 


THE CENTURION 


causts. Then there was the reading of the Law and 
preaching. From time to time, this preaching was 
interrupted by divers ceremonies it would take too 
long to describe. It is sufficient to say that, taken 
altogether, they formed a sort of memorial of 
Jehovah’s favors to His chosen people. 

The water brought from Siloah recalled the stream 
which sprung from the rock in the desert at the word 
of Moses. The illumination of the Temple was in 
memory of the Column of Fire which lighted the way 
of the Israelites to the Promised Land, and the ex- 
pected Messiah would become the true column of fire, 
scattering the darkness in which humanity groped and 
guiding it across the desert of this life toward the 
Land of the Living. 

The altar of Holocausts smoked all day and all 
night; the fire had to be constantly kept up and con- 
tinual sacrifice was offered. Young bulls, lambs, deer, 
pigeons and doves were thrust into it. The priests 
offered the blood of the victims which they poured all 
over the altar of Jehovah. Then the bodies of the 
animals were cut in pieces, of which part was placed 
on the fire and consumed. Oblations were also made 
of flour sprinkled with oil, and a handful of this was 
thrown on the fire with incense. The rest of the flour 
as well as the fragments of the victims belonged to the 
priests. This, then, was the great feast which the 
Jews celebrated every year in Jerusalem in the middle 
of the month of Thisri, which included part of Sep- 
tember and October. 

But in the year of Rome, 782, the feast took on 


THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 195 


much greater proportions and made greater commo- 
tion amid the people of Israel, because the time of the 
Messiah appeared to have come and a great Prophet 
was accomplishing wonders throughout the entire 
breadth of the ancient kingdom. It was no longer 
possible to doubt that He was the One expected, for 
it could not be denied that He accomplished miracles 
such as had never been seen since the time of Elias. 
His words were so eloquent that those who had heard 
Him said, “ Never has man spoken as He speaks.” 
Crowds followed Him with admiration but the chief 
priests and the Scribes were angry and openly mani- 
fested their hostility. Would He come to Jerusalem 
and make Himself heard in the Temple during the 
Feast of Tabernacles which was beginning? The 
crowd of pilgrims, more numerous than ever, expected 
and desired Him. But the Pharisees had set spies 
upon Him in Galilee and had sought all manner of 
motives for accusations against Him. They were 
preparing new traps from which they thought He 
would not know how to escape, and their agents had 
orders to arrest Him during the festival if He dared 
show Himself. 

‘‘ But He will not dare to come,” they said. ‘‘ Over 
there in Galilee He is in His element, in the midst of 
people without instruction, who know nothing of the 
Scriptures. He tells them parables and stories as 
simple as themselves, and these honest people admire 
Him. But here in the Temple in the Rotunda where 
the Sanhedrim sits, in the presence of an audience 
where Masters of religious science mingle with the 


THE CENTURION 


crowd and the most illustrious Doctors in Israel, He 
will lose His assurance and no longer dare maintain 
His Messianic pretensions/’ 

The Centurion, Camilla and Claudia Procla were 
among those who believed that the Prophet of Galilee 
would come, and every day they went to the Temple 
to see and hear Him; but three days had already 
passed and Jesus of Nazareth had not appeared. 


XH 

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 

W E will take the description of the fourth day of 
the festival from Camilla’s journal, which 
gives the impression it made upon her : 

He has come at last, and I have seen and heard 
the great Prophet of Galilee ! Everything about Him 
is beautiful and great, and His words impressed me 
deeply. The ceremonies of the fourth day had begun, 
and again in the vestibule of the Temple it was said 
He would not come. 

In the group where I stood, several Scribes were dis- 
puting. How can He know the Scriptures since He 
has never studied them? He cannot be the Messiah, 
because the prophets say that when the Messiah ap- 
pears, we will neither know from whence He comes 
nor whither He goes, and we are perfectly aware of 
Jesus’ origin; we know that He comes from the ob- 
scure village of Nazareth, where He worked at His 


JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 197 

trade of carpenter. Who can have taught Him the 
doctrines He preaches ? 

Suddenly a thrill run through the crowd. A white 
figure had made its appearance on the top step of the 
vestibule of the Jews. It was the Prophet! We 
drew near Him as possible. I told Caius to listen in- 
tently to what He should say, because we knew that 
He generally spoke in the popular Hebrew dialect, that 
is to say, in Aramean, and Caius understood it better 
than we. 

A deep silence fell. Jesus began to speak. 

A great number among you ask yourselves from 
whence I have drawn the doctrine I preach. This 
doctrine is not of me; it is of Him Who sent me. It 
comes from God! The man who speaks of His 
Master has but His own glory in view. But He who 
seeks only the glory of the God Who sent Him, that 
one is in the way of truth and justice. 

“ You pretend to know who I am and from whence 
I come, but then you should know that I do not come 
of myself. He Who is the Truth has sent me, but 
Him you do not know. I know Him because I pro- 
ceed from Him and because He sent me.” 

Great was the astonishment of the Scribes who 
stood beside us. They looked at each other and whis- 
pered : ‘‘ He has guessed the thoughts we exchanged 
a little while ago and answers us that we are mis- 
taken in believing we know from whence He comes, 
because He comes from God, and we do not know God, 
and it is also from God that He receives His knowl- 
edge.” 


THE CENTURION 


Jesus continued to speak, but there had been a move- 
ment in the crowd that pushed us back, and we could 
only hear Him at intervals. The murmurings of the 
multitude reached us more clearly. 

Is not He the one,’’ they asked, whom the chief 
priests seek to put to death? There He is speaking 
in public, and they say nothing to Him. They do not 
even contradict Him. Can they have recognized that 
He is really the Messiah ? When Christ comes, could 
He possibly work greater miracles than this Man has 
done?” 

The voice of the Prophet said, — 

Still I am with you for a little while ; and I shall 
return to Him Who sent me. Then you will seek me, 
and you will not find me, because whither I go you 
cannot follow.” 

Suddenly from the great central door, acclamations 
were heard mingled with the sound of trumpet and 
cymbal. Jesus became silent while a long procession 
filed under the portico. The high-priest Caiphas, in 
his garments brocaded with pontifical ornaments and 
carrying in his hands a golden urn, walked at the head. 
The urn was filled with the water that the people and 
Levites had gone in procession to draw from the 
fountain of Siloah at the foot of Mt. Ophel. It re- 
called to the Israelites the living water that Moses had 
caused to spring from a rock on that day when their 
ancestors, coming out of Egypt, were dying of thirst 
in the desert. Behind him came the priests wearing 
magnificent vestments of purple and gold. But those 
of the high-priest were of marvelous brilliancy and 


JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 


199 


richness conformable to the instructions given by 
Moses and fully described in chapter thirty-nine of 
the book of Exodus. The pectoral was of the same 
material as the ephod, of purple, scarlet, violet and 
crimson, with four rows of precious stones, sardonyx, 
topaz, emeralds, carbuncles, sapphires and diamonds. 
These stones were mounted in two golden rosettes 
bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The 
shoulder pieces of the ephod were formed by onyx 
stones ‘‘ fast set and closed in gold, graven with the 
names of the children of Israel.'’ The entire dress 
of the ephod of violet purple had at the bottom a 
trimming of scarlet pomegranates and golden bells 
which tinkled at every step of the pontiff. His head 
was crowned with a tiara artistically modeled, and on 
a band of pure gold encircling his forehead, one could 
read the words, The Holy of the Lord.” 

After the priests came several Scribes and elders 
and a crowd of pilgrims, strangers in Jerusalem. A 
choir of five hundred voices accompanied by harps, 
flutes, psalteries, trumpets and cymbals sang the canticle 
of the redeemed of the Prophet Isaias. 

“ A rod will come from the root of Jesse and from 
it will spring an offshoot on whom will rest the spirit 
of Jehovah, Spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding, 
Spirit of Counsel and of Fortitude,” and the canticle 
ended in the following verse, — 

You will draw water with joy from the spring of 
salvation and in that day, you will say ‘ Praise 
Jehovah, invoke His name, dwellers in Zion, for the 
Holy of Israel is great in your midst.' ” 


200 


THE CENTURION 


Oh, Mother, we found this song so beautiful, for we 
thought perhaps Jesus of Nazareth was He whom 
Isaias had prophesied. 

The old Gamaliel had caught sight of us and had 
come up to us. He was glowing with enthusiasm. 

Can it be possible,” said he raising his hands, 
‘‘ that we shall see with our own eyes, at this same 
moment, the realization of the prophecy of Isaias? 
Could it be possible that this man who is before us 
and who speaks to us, is the rod come out of the root 
of Jesse, the offshoot on whom rests the Spirit of God, 
the Holy One of Israel, great in the midst of Zion? ” 

And the old doctor in Israel, his eyes filled with 
tears of joy, watched Jesus in silence, who stood calm 
and impassive on the high steps which served Him as 
pulpit. 

And the procession advanced singing, crossing the 
ante-chamber of the Gentiles, then of the women, then 
the vestibule of the Jews; the pontiff who carried the 
golden urn passed through the door of Nicanor, and 
the balcony which surrounds the anteroom of the 
Levites. At the moment he mounted the steps leading 
to the altar of Holocausts, the people cried, — 

Raise your hand,” and then the pontiff emptied 
the golden urn towards the west while the choir con- 
tinued the refrain : ‘‘ You will draw water with joy 
from the Springs of Salvation.” 

As soon as the choir ceased, Jesus again raised His 
voice. The ceremony which had just finished fur- 
nished Him with a new metaphor for His doctrine. 

“ If anyone has thirst,” He cried, ‘Het him come to 


JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 


201 


me and I will give him to drink. Whoever believes 
in Me shall himself be like the rock of which the 
Scripture says, from its bosom shall flow springs of 
living water.’' The crowd became tumultuous. Some 
of them cried, ‘‘ It is really the prophet announced by 
Isaias ; It is Christ ; It is the Messiah ! ” 

But others objected, Does Christ come from 
Galilee?” 

Jesus continued without allowing Himself to be 
turned from His subject. 

Night was coming. Great candelabra were lighted, 
illuminating all the Temple. Their rays transfigured 
the Prophet, when suddenly. He said in a loud voice, 
“ I am the Light of the World. He who follows me 
shall not walk in darkness but shall have light and 
life.” 

Never: has the world heard such mighty words,” 
said Gamaliel, “and I know of no other eloquence 
which is so personal and decisive. A moment ago. He 
called Himself the Spring of Living Water unto Life 
Eternal, and now He is the Light of the World. 
Note well,” he added, “ that He quotes no other 
authority save that of God and that He does not say, 
‘ I am going to teach you where are the sources of 
light and life and how you can reach them.’ He says, 
'I am the Spring of Life and of Light.’ To speak 
thus. He must be God.” 

The Pharisees had interrupted the Prophet and ex- 
postulated with Him for giving testimony of Himself. 
He answered that His testimony was worthy of belief 
because He knows from whence He comes and whither 


202 


THE CENTURION 


He goes, while they do not know it. Besides this, He 
is not alone in giving testimony but that his Father who 
sent Him also gives testimony of Him. 

** Who is your Father? ” they cried. 

You know neither me nor my Father,^' answered 
Jesus; ‘Uf you knew me, you would also know my 
Father, because my Father and I are one.’’ 

“ What does He mean ? ” I asked Gamaliel. 

I understand that He means to say God is His 
father.” 

Is that possible? ” 

“ It is the mystery of this man, and it is that which 
baffles my understanding and all my knowledge.” 


The ceremonies and preaching continued until the 
eighth day. Unfortunately, during the last, days, the 
crowd was clamorous. The chief priests, the Scribes 
and Pharisees were scattered in every direction and 
excited the people against Jesus. They interrupted 
Him, complained, abused Him, and He Himself 
finished by declaiming to them some very hard truths. 

You can judge of this by several words Caius 
gathered together, and which I will copy for you. 
When we found Him in the anteroom of the treasury, 
Jesus was saying to the Jews, who seemed greatly 
excited, 

‘‘ I go away and you will seek me, but you will die 
in your sin. Where I go ye cannot come.” 

“Is He going to kill Himself?” murmured the 
crowd. 


JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 


203 


Jesus continued, You are from below but I am 
from above; you are of this world but I am not of 
this world. Again I declare it to you ! You will die 
in your sin, if you persist in not believing who I am.” 

** Who are you, then ? ” they asked Him. 

‘‘ I am Who am. I am the Principle. He who 
sent me does not deceive and all that He teaches me, 
I tell it to the world.” . . . 

Gamaliel paled and turning to us, said. 

Do you notice this personal and absolute affirma- 
tion ? — H am the Principle.^ Has ever man spoken 
like this ? Is there in the world a purely human being 
who can say with truth, ^ I am the Principle ' ? 
Moses himself would not have dared pronounce such 
words.” 

The Prophet pursued His discourse. 

“ When you shall have lifted up the Son of Man, 
then you shall recognize Who I am. You will see 
that I do nothing of myself — but that I say what 
any Father has taught me; that He Who sent me is 
with me and that He does not leave me alone because 
I will always do His will.” 

A great number of His hearers then acknowledged 
Him and declared themselves His disciples. 

“ You will really be my disciples,” He said to them, 
if you live in my doctrines. Thus you will under- 
stand the truth and the truth will set you free.” 

All who testified their hostility protested then 
against these words with anger : 

“ We are the Children of Abraham and have never 
been the slaves of anyone.” 


204 


THE CENTURION 


How haughty they are/’ remarked Gamaliel ; 
they forget that they have often been led into cap- 
tivity and are to-day under Roman dominion.” 

But Jesus explained that He spoke of moral free- 
dom, that real slavery is sin and that, far from doing 
the works of justice which Abraham did, they sought 
at that same moment to put to death Him who taught 
them the truth He held from God. 

Greater grew the tumult. The Jews proclaimed 
loudly that they had but one Father, God. 

The Prophet raised His voice to quiet them and 
said with decision, ■ 

** If God were your father, you would certainly love 
me, because I come from God, and I go to Him. 
No, I did not come from myself; I repeat to you, 
it is He, Who sent me, notwithstanding you do not 
recognize my language and do not wish to hear my 
speech. 

Ah, he who is of God, hears the words of God, 
and if you do not hear it, it is because you are not 
of God. 

“ Your father is the devil and it is the instinct of 
your father you gratify in seeking the means to put 
me to death. From the beginning that one was a 
homicide and the truth is no longer in him. When 
he tells a lie, he speaks from his own heart because 
he is a liar, the father of lies.” 

Cries of rage drowned these words. The Jews 
cried out to Him that He was possessed of the devil, 
and as there was a pile of stones in the anteroom 
which the workmen had been using to make certain 


THE MAN BORN BLIND 


205 


repairs to the walls, the Jews gathered them up and 
hurried towards Jesus to stone Him, but He had dis- 
appeared. 

It was the end of the preaching because it was the 
last day of the feast, but the Prophet did not cease to 
work His miracles. 


XIII 

THE MAN BORN BLIND 

H ardly had Jesus left the Temple, when He 
noticed in the street a poor man blind from 
his birth. Lifting up a handful of dust Jesus mixed 
it with saliva and anointed the eyes of the blind 
man. Then He said, Go now and bathe in the 
baths of Siloah.” The man born blind washed there 
and immediately recovered his sight. 

The next evening Gamaliel the elder received at 
his house several friends. Among them were 
Claudia, Camilla, Nicodemus and Caius. The old 
Claudius and Pilate had declined the invitation, be- 
cause they said they had heard sufficient controversy 
on the subject of Jesus of Nazareth. The cure of 
the man born blind had made a great sensation in 
Jerusalem, and Gamaliel’s guests were curious to know 
exactly what had happened. Camilla was the first 
to question the old doctor on the subject. 

‘‘ This,” said Gamaliel, ‘‘ is all that I know about 
it. For several years I have seen a man blind from 
his birth at the door of the Temple. I have often 
14 


2o6 


THE CENTURION 


spoken to him and in the hope that doctors perhaps 
could cure him, I one day examined his eyes. But 
though I am not familiar with this subject, one glance 
sufficed to show me that the evil was incurable. 

“ Yesterday, on coming out of the Temple, I saw a 
crowd of persons engaged in violent dispute. I drew 
near them and recognized in the middle of the group 
my blind man on whom all eyes were fixed and who 
spoke with great animation. I listened to the dis- 
cussion. 

“ Some said, ‘ It is undoubtedly he, it is the man 
born blind who always stayed by the door of the 
Temple and begged.' 

^ No,' said the others, ‘ it is someone who re- 
sembles him.' 

‘‘ And he answered, ‘ It is indeed I.' 

‘ But thou art not blind ! ' 

‘‘‘lam no longer blind but I was blind less than an 
hour ago.' 

“ ‘ And how have your eyes been opened ? ' 

“ ‘ It was in this manner. A man whom I could not 
see because I was blind, but whom I heard called Jesus, 
approached me. He put wet earth on my eyes and 
said to me, “ Go to the baths of Siloah and bathe." 
I was led there by this child whom you see. I washed 
myself and recovered my sight.' 

“ ‘ Where is this man who cured thee ? ' I asked him 
then. 

“ ‘ I do not know nor do I know Him. I have never 
seen Him.' 

“ There happened to be in the Temple at that time 


iTHE MAN BORN BLIND 


207 


a gathering of priests and Pharisees because it was 
the Sabbath. I led the man before them and told 
them what I had just learned. The members of the 
Sanhedrim were angry at what they considered a 
violation of the day consecrated to God and, suspect- 
ing at the same time a fraud, immediately inaugurated 
an inquiry, interrogating the blind man and his 
parents. The man answered all their questions with 
a simplicity, frankness and firmness that seemed ad- 
mirable to me. The fact was not at all complicated. 
It had just been accomplished and, without hesitation 
as if having no fear, the blind man told his story 
again in the same way. He had been blind since 
his birth and an hour before he was still sightless; 
then a Man whom they told him was called Jesus 
had suddenly cured him by putting mud upon his 
eyes and sending him to wash in the fountain of 
Siloah; that was all. It was clear, precise, positive, 
but it was inexplicable and contrary to the laws of 
nature. ‘ Therefore,’ said the members of the San- 
hedrim, ‘ there is no truth in it, this man is a liar.’ 

Then they had the mother and father of the blind 
man brought and questioned them. 

' Is this your son? ’ 

‘ Yes, it is our son,’ they answered simply. 

‘ Well, was he born blind ? ’ 

‘ Yes, he was born blind.’ 

** * But how does it happen that he sees now ? ’ 

“ ‘ We do not know nor do we know who opened his 
eyes. Ask him, himself. He is of an age when he 
can speak of what concerns him.’ 


2o8 


THE CENTURION 


Once more questioned the blind man recited the 
same story with the calmness, assurance and precision 
of a man who speaks the truth. 

Then discussions arose amongst us. Some said, 
‘ This man is not sent from God because He does not 
keep the Sabbath ; ’ others again, ‘ How can a sinner 
work such miracles ? ’ ‘ And thou,’ they asked the 

blind man, ‘ what dost thou say of Him who has 
opened thine eyes ? ’ 

‘‘ ‘ He is a prophet,’ he answered without flinching. 

This response irritated the Pharisees, and they an- 
swered, ‘ We know that this man is a sinner.’ 

‘ If he be a sinner,’ replied the blind man, ‘ I do 
. not know but I know one thing, — I know that I was 
blind and that now I see.’ 

“ It was precisely this overwhelming fact, more elo- 
quent than all argument, that exasperated my col- 
leagues. The miracle blinded their eyes; they did 
not wish to see it. The crowd affirmed it and bore 
witness to it, and in spite of his ignorance, with his 
good sense and faith alone, the cured -man trium- 
phantly answered all the arguments of the incredulous 
and spiteful doctors. There was a moment when 
he even seemed to make fun of them, when for 
the third time they asked how Jesus had opened his 
eyes. 

‘ Why do you wish to hear it again ? ’ he said to 
them, ‘ Is it because you, too, wish to become His 
disciples ? ’ 

Then they cursed him, and said angrily, 

^ Go, thou, be His disciple, but we are the disciples 


THE MAN BORN BLIND 


209 

of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses but we 
do not know from whence this one comes.’ 

“ ‘ It is very astonishing/ answered the new disciple 
of Jesus, ‘ that you do not know from whence He 
comes when He opened my eyes; God does not listen 
to sinners, and never had it been heard that one 
opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man 
were not from God, He could not have done this.’ 

It was too much ; the Pharisees were enraged and 
had recourse to abuse, that last argument of those 
who are in the wrong. ‘ Thou wert born in sin and 
thou darest teach us.’ Then they had him thrown out 
of the door of the Temple.” 

“ Doctor Gamaliel,” said Camilla, I thank you 
from the bottom of my heart. Your story has deeply 
moved me.” 

‘‘ It is really touching,” added Gains. 

But there is a sequel,” added Nicodemus, an 
epilogue that you probably do not know, Gamaliel.” 

‘‘No, I know nothing more.” 

“ Well, this is what followed. Driven from the 
Temple, the happy man was passing down the street, 
when Jesus of Nazareth met him; He stopped him 
and said, ‘Dost thou believe in the Son of God?’ 
He answered, ‘ Who is He, Lord, that I may believe 
in Him? ’ 

“ ‘ Thou hast seen Him,’ answered Jesus; ‘ it is He 
Himself who speaks to thee.’ 

“ ‘ I believe. Lord,’ answered the blind man of yes- 
terday, without hesitation, and throwing himself at 
the feet of Jesus, he adored Him.” 


210 


THE CENTURION 


What faith ! breathed Camilla, Claudia and 
Cains at the same time. “ Is it not admirable, 
Gamaliel?’’ 

The old teacher raised his eyes to Heaven and re- 
mained silent. At last he said, I am more moved 
than any of you, but I am troubled by the profound 
mystery of this Man. He cannot be an impostor 
since God hears Him. But how could any one con- 
ceive of a man’s calling himself the ‘ Son of God ’ 
and allowing himself to be adored? It is beyond my 
understanding.” 

It is a mystery,” added Nicodemus, but how 
could He redeem humanity if He be not God, and if 
He is God, is He not bound to say it ? ” 


XIV 

THE MESSIANIC QUESTION 

I N Judea as in Galilee, in Samaria, in Persea, and 
as far as the seashore where Tyre and Sidon 
rose, the Messianic question had been discussed. It 
excited the people and aroused the minds of those 
interested in controversy. It awakened national senti- 
ment and somnolent patriotism. Jesus of Nazareth 
had but to speak one word, and it would become even 
for Rome a grave political question. 

But nothing was farther from the mind of Jesus than 
the dreams of creating a popular movement and free- 
ing His country from Roman domination. This role 
would have been much beneath so great a Personage, 


THE MESSIANIC QUESTION 


2II 


and it could not have been for the creation of political 
revolution that a Messiah had been promised the 
Jewish people for so many centuries. Also, far from 
pronouncing the word of rebellion which the people 
wished and expected, Jesus said to those who cared to 
hear Him, — 

“ My kingdom is not of this world; it is the King- 
dom of God.’’ For such as added faith to this 
declaration of the Prophet, the Messianic question was 
rather a religious one. It raised the gravest theo- 
logical problems and became complicated with 
threatened ecclesiastical conflict. Face to face with 
Jesus rose the Jewish priesthood, whose personal in- 
terests were menaced. 

No one could longer ignore the numberless miracles 
performed by the young Prophet nor His extraor- 
dinary preaching in the Temple, in the synagogues, 
on the banks of the Jordan and in every place through 
which He passed. Everywhere the crowd asked if 
He were the promised Messiah. Even John the 
Baptist had wished to assure himself of it through 
the mouth of Jesus and sent a messenger for this 
purpose. Jesus’ answer had satisfied John, who had 
dismissed his own followers by saying, ‘‘ My mission 
is finished. Now He must increase and I must de- 
crease.” 

The humble, the ignorant and the simple did not 
doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. They had seen 
His works, and His works had sufficed to convince 
them. He had declared from the first who He was, 
and God does not work miracles to prove an untruth. 


212 


THE CENTURION 


But He did not go among the great, the rich nor the 
Jewish priesthood. The governing classes never see 
the growth of a new or powerful influence without 
defiance and jealousy. They are naturally envious 
of the success and elevation of those whom they call 
upstarts. 

It is especially in Jerusalem that the disputes were 
most violent. And they were organized by the leaders 
of the people, especially those who represented re- 
ligious authority. They gave divers motives for 
refusing to recognize the Messianic character of 
Jesus which might excuse their scepticism but which 
could not justify in any way their hatred and hos- 
tility. 

‘‘ The Messiah,’’ they said, ‘‘ should be of the family 
of David. He should have been born in Bethlehem 
and not in Galilee. But Jesus came from Nazareth. 
Since His most tender infancy He as well as His 
family had been known there. His father was an 
obscure carpenter. He Himself had worked at this 
trade up to the age of thirty years, and it was with- 
out any preliminary study, without having left a 
name in any celebrated school that He had suddenly 
started to preach. What relation could there be be- 
tween this poor family from the despised country of 
Galilee and the royal race of David ? ” 

These first objections were easily refuted by those 
who sought in good faith their solution; it was only 
necessary to carefully study the genealogy of Jesus 
and the spot of His birth. Archives were to be found 


THE MESSIANIC QUESTION 213 

in Bethlehem and Nazareth and several witnesses of 
the birth of Jesus must still be living. 

There were also among the great of Jerusalem 
conscientious persons who had inquired into these 
facts and learned their truth. Nicodemus ben 
Gorian, Joseph of Arimathea, decurions, and 
Gamaliel were among them. Nicodemus had met in 
the environments of Bethlehem several of the shep- 
herds who had known of the birth of Jesus in the cave 
at Bethlehem, and they had told him of its marvelous 
occurrence. The oldest among them were not yet 
sixty years of age. In the same manner, the mother 
of Jesus, His friends and relatives could have been 
questioned, and it might also have been proved that 
Joseph, foster-father of Jesus, and Mary, his spouse, 
were both descended from the family of David. 

Another motive was also put forward for not ac- 
knowledging the Messianic titles of Jesus: the Mes- 
siah, it was said, was to appear on the earth in 
splendor and glory, in all the brilliancy belonging to 
a powerful prince. He was to redeem Israel and all 
nations. were to bow before Him. But it was evident 
that this preacher of Galilee, surrounded by poor fisher- 
men from the Lake of Genezareth, possessed neither 
grandeur nor power nor any other royal appanage. 
This second reason for doubt was more serious than 
the first, and really an obstacle to the faith of the 
people themselves. For it was their belief and 
supreme hope that the Messiah should re-establish the 
kingdom of Juda and that He would be a conqueror 


214 


THE CENTURION 


rather than a prophet, a new Joshua, a David or a 
Judas Machabeus. 

But when the people had wished to proclaim Him 
king, Jesus had fled, and neither His apostles nor He, 
Himself, had ever said one word that might betray 
any intention of shaking off the yoke of Rome. The 
only kingdom of which He constantly spoke and which 
He wished to found, was the kingdom of God and 
not the kingdom of Juda. 

But this belief in a Messiah-king, liberator and 
emancipator of His people was founded on prophecies 
that were far from being clear. Without doubt the 
promised Messiah should be a king. But of what 
nature would be His royalty? Over what regions 
would His kingdom extend? It became difficult to 
decide by consulting the prophecies alone. It was 
believed that He would deliver Israel and seize its 
sceptre. But the prophecies also said that He should 
deliver the nations and that all people would obey 
Him. He should also be a prophet in order to teach 
the people, and a priest of the Most High, to offer 
the expiatory sacrifice for the sin of the first man. 

But how could He be at the same time a powerful 
king and the victim of the serpent who was to bruise 
His heel? What did this wound signify which the 
serpent should have power to inflict upon Him ? And 
if He were to reign over all the nations with so much 
glory, how, according to these same prophecies, could 
He be an object of scorn, subject to all suffering and 
forced to undergo such torment that He would no 
longer resemble a human being? 


THE MESSIANIC QUESTION 


215 


This had all been predicted and seemed contradic- 
tory, if one did not admit the purely spiritual royalty 
of the Messiah. Granted this supernatural charac- 
ter, nothing was opposed to what Jesus proclaimed, 
since His kingdom, as He said, was not of this 
world. 

One last motive, greater than all the others, had 
been brought forward by the great, the doctors and 
the priests, to justify their incredulity. On several 
occasions Jesus had affirmed that He was the Son of 
God. “ But,” they said, how can this man who 
has led an obscure life at Nazareth and rubbed elbows 
with all the world since His childhood, be the Son of 
God ? ” It is absurd, insane,” the sceptics said. 
‘‘ It is a blasphemy punishable by death,” added the 
chief priests. The poor, the ignorant, the people 
answered simply, with greater logic than was shown 
by the scholars, ** Yes, it is blasphemy if He does not 
really proceed from God, but if this be so, how do 
you explain that a blasphemer has command over the 
elements, sickness, life and death?” The priests an- 
swered, “ It is by Beelzebub that He does these 
miracles. He is possessed of a devil.” 

‘‘Ah,” answered these poor people, “this is some- 
thing new. It is the demon who drives other demons 
from off the earth, and who delivers those unfor- 
tunates who are possessed ! It is the devil who cures 
the sick, the infirm and the lepers; it is the devil who 
restores hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, sight 
to the blind, life to the dead! Then let us abandon 
the worship of Jehovah who ceaselessly chastises us. 


2i6 


THE CENTURION 


and let us dedicate the Temple to the devil who over- 
whelms our country with his good works.’’ 

The priests answered this outrageous irony by abuse 
and insult as they answered the man born blind. 
And their recourse to abuse revealed the true motive 
of their hostility to the Messianic character of Jesus. 

It is probable that some of the leaders of the priest- 
hood as well as the Scribes, doubted that perhaps 
Jesus might be the Son of God. They believed that 
He should be an autocrat, a monarch of great power, 
Liberator of Israel, but did not admit His divinity. 

Notwithstanding this, certain prophecies affirmed it 
clearly enough. Michseas called Him, “ He whose 
origin dates from the olden times into the days of 
Eternity,” which meant that He was the Eternal One. 
The Prophet King put into His mouth these words, 
“ Jehovah said to me Thou art My Son, to-day I begot 
Thee; ask of Me and I will give Thee all the nations 
as an inheritance.” Isaias, ‘‘Behold a Virgin shall 
bear a son, Emanuel, God-with-us. Unto us a Son 
is bom, and He shall be called Councillor, Admirable, 
the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of 
Peace.” 

The title of Son of God is also given to the Mes- 
siah in the Book of Henoch and in the fourth Book 
of Esdras. It was then, the traditional belief that 
the Messiah would be the Son of God and that He 
would pre-exist near His father in Heaven. 

But the greater number of Jesus’ enemies did not 
occupy themselves with this question of pure dogma. 
At bottom it did not matter to them whether or 


THE MESSIANIC QUESTION 217 

no He called Himself the Son of God. There was 
nothing superhuman in their hostile attitude. The 
most ambitious and clever of the Sanhedrites knew 
perfectly well that the propagation of the new doc- 
trines which the Galilean preached undermined their 
authority and their social position; that His success 
diminished their prestige and would exhaust the spring 
of their revenues. 

While the expectation of a Messiah had been but a 
far-off hope, this dogma had not troubled them. 
They had exploited it and lived upon it. But they 
had not foreseen the result of its accomplishment, and 
now this result came as a disaster to their revenues 
and their influence over the people. Messianism, as 
Jesus interpreted it, was antagonistic tO' the Phar- 
isaical interpretation of the Scriptures and Mosaic 
worship, such as was practised by the priesthood. 

Jesus indeed said that the new law was the con- 
firmation of the old law, but He criticised and re- 
jected most of the practices of Rabbinism. He in- 
stituted a new priesthood to preach and spread the 
new religion. One of the first acts of His public life 
had been to drive the vendors from the Temple, but 
the vendors paid both taxes and rent to the priests 
who allowed them to carry on their commerce under 
the porticoes and in the anterooms. If this trade 
came to an end, if the sacrifices were suppressed, the 
great source of revenue for the priesthood would be 
destroyed. And if the new priesthood were accepted 
by the people, the usefulness of the old would cease. 

In the face of this imminent danger, a union had 


2i8 


THE CENTURION 


been formed between the different sacerdotal sects, 
Pharisees, Sadducees, Essences, at first strongly di- 
vided, had become united. Jesus had become the 
common enemy. 

On its part, the mass of the people was not disposed 
to renounce the re-establishment of the kingdom of 
Israel, and its ideal of a Messiah was a king who 
would realize this great national hope. But Jesus of 
Nazareth did nothing to gain for Himself this in- 
fluence and power in the high spheres of the social and 
political world. 

From that time it could be foreseen that the people 
would not consecrate themselves to His defence 
against the priesthood, which bestowed high places, 
honor and favor on all sides, but would rather re- 
main spectators in the combat which was imminent, 
would even range themselves on the side of the 
priests, if these in turn would support them. It was 
evident to the eyes of the intelligent observer that 
the Messianic question would have a violent solu- 
tion. The priesthood had undertaken the combat and 
would pursue it with vigor and hasten its climax. 
But the only climax which could satisfy it, because 
it appeared definite, was the death of Jesus. In de- 
livering Him to death, thought the chief priests, ‘‘ we 
will prove that He is not God, since God cannot die.” 

And yet it was to prove that He was the Son of 
God that Jesus desired His own death, for if He did 
not die. He could not come to life again. It was 
through His resurrection He would prove His 
divinity. 


LAZARUS 


219 


XV 

LAZARUS 

W HILE the Jews of all classes throughout Judea 
were agitating this question of the Messiah 
and discussing it under its divers aspects, Jesus had 
returned into Galilee. From there He went to 
Persea. In December, of the year of Rome, 782, 
He returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Dedica- 
tion. He re-appeared in the Temple and answering 
the questions of the Jews, declared anew that He was 
the Son of God. For the second time the Jews took 
up stones to throw at Him, and Jesus said to them. 
Through the power of my Father I have accom- 
plished before you many good deeds. Is it for these 
works that you stone me ? ” 

Did they understand all the irony of this question? 
They did, indeed, but their hatred only grew. They 
then employed means to seize Him, but He escaped 
their hands and departed again for Persea. There 
He lived until the following March, year of 
Rome, 783. 

The journal of Camilla will tell us of the occasion 
of His return to Bethany. 


EXTRACT FROM CAMILLA'^S JOURNAL 

March ist. Year of Rome, 783, — I have 
just returned from Bethany. Myriam and Martha 


220 


THE CENTURION 


are plunged in deepest grief. Their brother Lazarus 
is very ill. The doctors have declared his illness in- 
curable, that he can live a few days only. One hope 
alone remains to these poor women. They expect 
Jesus of Nazareth and are certain that He will come 
to cure their brother, His dearest friend. They sent 
messengers into Peraea to Him, who said, ‘‘ Lord, he 
whom thou lovest is sick,’’ nothing more. They did 
not even pronounce the name of the sick man. They 
simply designated him by the title which gave him 
most honor; he whom. Jesus loves!” They asked 
nothing of the Prophet. He knows full well that this 
message means ‘‘ Come to see Lazarus and cure him.” 
But Jesus contented Himself with answering, This 
illness is not unto death but for the glory of God, 
that the Son of God may be glorified in it,” and He 
remained in Peraea. 

Does this answer mean that Lazarus will not die, 
and that Jesus will come in time to save him? But 
He should make haste. Every hour of vain expecta- 
tion aggravates the illness and increases the grief of 
this family whom, nevertheless, the Prophet loves. 

I said to Myriam, ‘‘Of course He will come; His 
heart is too tender to abandon His friends in their 
grief.” 

She answered me, “ Indeed, yes. He is good. But 
He is also just, and I have sinned so much I have de- 
served to suffer.” 

Poor Myriam! She is in despair, and her soul is 
crushed; she is so deeply attached to this brother 
who is the head of the family, who had always been 


LAZARUS 


221 


good to her, even during the years of her sinfulness, 
who took her back after her conversion and who fills 
the place on earth of her mother and father, dead long 
since. If he were going to die, what emptiness it 
would leave in this home and in the heart of these two 
sisters ! 

Oh, what a sad and mysterious thing is death; it 
is night for the dead, but it is emptiness which is far 
worse for the dear being who survives. Which of the 
two suffers? It is the survivor, for he who has gone 
is necessary to him who remains, is everything to him ; 
and how long will the parting be? For how many 
years? Forever, forever and always. Is it possible 
that all the links we form on earth shall be torn apart 
in such a way that they can never be united ? What is 
the name of this force which destroys and dissolves all 
things ? Is it chance ? Is it fate ? Is it in ourselves ? 
Do we bear its germ in our being? Or does it come 
from some unknown world ? And if death be not the 
end of all, what is the future? 

Oh, Prophet of Nazareth, will you not come to re- 
veal these mysteries ? 

March jf Year of Rome 

Irreparable misfortune! They expected the com- 
ing of the Prophet to cure, and death came instead! 
Nicodemus has just told me the sad news. Lazarus 
is dead, and since yesterday has slept his last sleep in 
the sepulchre of his family at Bethany. 

Nicodemus told me that a great number of friends 

had assisted at the burial with the usual demonstra- 
15 


222 


THE CENTURION 


tions of grief and mourning, to the sound of lugubri- 
ous melodies of the flute-players and the lamentations 
of the mourners. For seven days friends and rela- 
tives will come to weep at the tomb and visit the af- 
flicted family. How could Jesus of Nazareth have 
abandoned the hospitable dwelling generally so calm 
and happy, with doors always open to Him, His dwell- 
ing place when He came to Jerusalem? How could 
He have allowed death to enter there ? 

Martha and Myriam do not understand why their 
Friend has not come, and their lamentations always 
end with these words, ‘‘ Ah, if He had been here, 
our brother would not have died.’^ 

I will go to see my poor afflicted friends, but what 
consolation can I offer them? What can I say to 
those who have lost him who was their dearest on 
earth? In the presence of death, man is powerless. 
Only the Prophet of Nazareth can console those whom 
He seems to have forgotten on this fatal day. But I 
wonder if He be made of the same flesh as ourselves, 
if He feels as we do, if He loves as we do? Perhaps 
He is so far above human nature that He cannot 
share our feelings of friendship nor the pity inspired 
in us by the unhappiness of our friends. And yet, 
does He not console all who have recourse to Him in 
their misfortunes? Has He not cured thousands of 
sick? To how many lepers has He not given clean 
bodies? To how many blind people has He not re- 
stored sight? Oh, Jesus, why did you not come to 
Bethany ? 

March 6th, Year of Rome 


LAZARUS 


223 


Oh, Mother, how great He is ! How powerful and 
how good is this wonderful Prophet of Nazareth! I 
myself have witnessed the greatest of miracles. 
Lazarus, dead and buried four days, is to-day alive. 
I am still so excited that I am incapable of telling you 
as I would wish all of this extraordinary occurrence. 
Let me simply note my impressions, and you will try 
to understand what I cannot express. 

On my arrival, I found everything in Bethany just 
as Nicodemus had described. It was a lamentable 
sight. In the principal room hung in black, the two 
sisters had secluded themselves, dressed in deepest 
mourning, going out twice a day only, each time to 
visit the tomb. The rest of the house was open like 
an abandoned dwelling to all the neighbors, relatives, 
friends and the morbidly curious, who walked about, 
lamenting and sighing. 

I was admitted into the main room, where I found 
my two friends in a sorrow bordering on despair. 
It was not only that they suffered the loss of their 
brother, — what doubled their grief was the thought 
that their Friend, the great Prophet, appeared to have 
abandoned them. Myriam was dumb with sorrow 
and let Martha speak, who complained bitterly of the 
forgetfulness of the Master. I could but express my 
sympathy as well as that of my sister Claudia and 
then went away to mingle in the crowd below. 

Several Pharisees were there. Under pretext of 
sympathy for the afflicted family, they loudly blamed 
Jesus of Nazareth for His unjustifiable absence. ‘‘ He 
who deigned to open the eyes of the man born blind,’’ 


224 ' 


THE CENTURION 


they said, could He not have come to save His friend 
from death? 

Suddenly the crowd whispered, ‘‘ The Prophet ! 
the Prophet! At last He has come! He is there at 
the gate of the avenue that leads to the house/’ 

A thrill ran through them, the emotion of all was 
intense. But the Pharisees said, Unfortunately He 
has come too late. He has failed in the most sacred 
duty of friendship.” 

Martha hastened to meet Jesus and said to Him, 

‘‘ Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not 
died” 

“ Thy brother will rise again,” answered Jesus. 

‘‘ I know,” answered Martha, that He will rise 
again on the last day.” 

Then Jesus raised His voice and said in a solemn 
tone, ‘‘ I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who 
believes in Me though He die, shall live. Dost thou 
believe this, Martha ? ” 

Martha no longer doubted. Throwing herself on 
her knees before Jesus, she said to Him, 

Yes, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ, the 
Son of the Living God.” 

Myriam came in her turn all bathed in tears, and 
Jesus Himself shuddered in spirit and wept. Then 
He turned toward the sepulchre which was shown 
Him, and the crowd followed. The Pharisees said 
one to another, 

‘‘ He weeps because He can no longer do anything. 
What good does it do to weep these useless tears and 


LAZARUS 


225 

promise these poor afflicted women that their brother 
will rise on the last day ? ” 

The sepulchral cave was dug at the foot of a hill 
in the vertical wall of the rock and was reached by a 
stone staircase. Jesus descended with some of His 
disciples, and the crowd gathered before the tomb. 
Every heart stopped beating in expectation of what 
should come to pass. What could human strength 
no matter how great, do against the inexorable power 
of death? Jesus stood before the sepulchre and said. 

Take away the stone!’' The disciples moved it, 
and the door of the tomb gaped open. Before this 
sombre opening, ante-chamber to death and eternal 
night, the Prophet all in white, majestic and grave. 
His eyes raised to Heaven, prayed. 

After an instant these words fell from His lips, 
My Father, I thank Thee for having heard Me,” 
then raising His voice. He cried, ‘‘ Lazarus, come 
forth!” 

Then my eyes were fixed upon the yawning sepul- 
chre, and I saw appearing in the black frame of the 
tomb, a form covered with a winding sheet, the body, 
hands and feet enveloped in bandages, but this phan- 
tom lived. 

Unloose him,” added the deep-toned voice, ‘‘ and 
let him go.” 

The disciples, stupefied and trembling, did not move. 

It was Peter who first approached him and raised 
the cloth which covered his face. Then I recognized 
Lazarus, who fixed his eyes upon the Prophet and 


226 


THE CENTURION 


when he was released from his bandages, his sisters 
and he prostrated themselves before Jesus and kissed 
His feet. 

A smile of unearthly joy illuminated the august 
face of the Prophet, and the happy family accompanied 
by its superhuman Guest turned towards the dwelling, 
speaking words I did not understand. The Pharisees 
went silently away. I followed them, a prey to the 
greatest emotion of my life ! 


XVI 

THE SANHEDRIM 

T he raising of Lazarus produced an extraordi- 
nary commotion in Jerusalem and throughout 
all Judea. A great number of Jews believed in Jesus. 
The chief priests were of the opinion that it was high 
time to act, if they wished to prevent the whole nation 
from becoming converted to these new doctrines. 

Caiphas convoked a large assembly in the Sanhe- 
drim. The Sanhedrim consisted of three chambers, 
that of the priests, that of the Scribes and that of 
the elders or ancients. There should be twenty-three 
members in each, but it often happened, notably in the 
time of Jesus Christ, that the chamber of the priests 
contained the greatest number. Two secretaries also 
formed part of the Sanhedrim, which brought the reg- 
ular total up to seventy-one. It was at the same time 
a species of parliament on religious and even civic 
matters and a superior tribunal. The greatest share 


THE SANHEDRIM 


227 


of influence in this assembly was held by the priests, 
who in reality governed it; and the sacerdotal aris- 
tocracy belonged, as a general thing, to the sect of the 
Sadducees. Outwardly they appeared to have great 
respect for the law of Moses, but interpreted it with 
individual liberty, each one according to his conscience, 
without the intervention of any authority. Thus they 
had arrived at a sort of rationalism. Many of them 
no longer believed in the future life. 

The democratic element among the priests was 
found among the Pharisees. These were beyond all 
authority ; practically they substituted their own learn- 
ing for the law itself, understanding well its letter, but 
misconstruing its spirit. They were of those whose 
religion is exterior, and they replaced the practice of 
virtue by much outward religious show. 

It was for this reason that Jesus had compared them 
to those sepulchres which one sees everywhere through- 
out the Orient, whose exterior is immaculately white, 
but which within are full of infectious rottenness. 
The people at large believed in their sincerity, and that 
is why they had far greater influence than the Saddu- 
cees. All the Jewish priesthood however, whether 
Sadducean or Pharisaical, was filled with pride, ego- 
tism and ambition. 

The great sacerdotal families, Annas and his five 
sons, descendants of Boethus, the ben Phabi, the Can- 
therse, the Johns, the Alexanders, disputed among 
themselves how best to enjoy the goods and benefices 
of the people and crush the nation to increase their own 
revenues. The Talmud represented them as scourges. 


228 


THE CENTURION 


They are high-priests/’ it says, their sons are treas- 
urers, their sons-in-law commanders and their serv- 
ants strike the people with their staves/’ They kept 
the people in subjection and superstition and shame- 
fully exploited the religion of their fathers, which was 
for them but a narrow and ridiculous formalism. 

They collected in the granaries of the Temple the 
tithes which they extorted from the simple and humble 
faithful and stole from each other in order that each 
might gather in a greater part. Their palaces were 
sumptuous, their tables well appointed and their cloth- 
ing luxurious. Hypocrites, avaricious, ambitious, 
they reigned and governed, thanks to the lowliness and 
ignorance of the multitude. 

Everything which might threaten this hypocritical 
exploitation of religion and open the eyes of the nation 
to the truth must be fought against, prohibited and 
hidden in the background. The natural trend of all 
human power is to absolutism, and the great tendency 
of those who exercise this power is to suppress all in 
their, way. Jesus had become too great a menace to 
the Jewish sacerdotal authority and the continuance of 
its power. 

In driving the vendors from the Temple, He had 
shattered at one stroke the principal source of revenue 
which the Temple guaranteed to its priests. 

The preaching of a new religion, a modern creed 
that should abolish the sacrifices of the ancient law, 
the profitable hecatombs of the altar, a doctrine which 
would found a new priesthood — all threatened the 


THE SANHEDRIM 


229 


prestige and material welfare of the ancient priest- 
hood. From that time on, the Galilean reformer was 
its enemy. 

The principal members of the Chamber of the 
Priests at the time of Christ were Annas and his five 
sons, Eleazar, Jonathas, Theophilus, Mathias and An- 
anus, who later ordered the stoning of St. James; 
Caiphas, High Priest and president of the Sanhedrim; 
the two sons of Boethus, Joazar and Eleazar, who had 
successively been High Priests; Simon Cantherus, 
third son of Boethus, who became High Priest several 
years after Jesus Christ; Israel ben Phabi, Simon ben 
Camite, Helkias, who was treasurer of the temple; 
John and Sceva, who are named in the Acts of the 
Apostles. 

After the priests came the Scribes ; their name sig- 
nified writers, and their principal duty was the pres- 
ervation, reproduction and interpretation of the Holy 
Scriptures. But the authority they possessed in the 
interpretation of the writings was relative and had 
none of the characteristics of infallibility. One might 
express disbelief in them without being accused of 
heresy. They themselves recognized this and at first 
were reasonably humble. Every time a prophet ap- 
peared and gave the proofs of his mission, they rec- 
ognized his authority and accepted his teaching. 

But when the era of prophets passed, their authority 
grew. Little by little, their teaching took upon itself 
the character of absolutism; some were Levites and 
others laymen. They were called Doctors in Israel 


230 


THE CENTURION 


and formed the body of scholars, the most influential 
one after the Chamber of the Priests. 

The most celebrated among the members of the 
Sanhedrim at the time of Jesus Christ were Gamaliel 
the elder, grandson of the famous Hillel, whose school 
had great renown; Simeon his son; Onkelos, one of 
his most illustrious disciples; Jonathas ben Uziel, Is- 
mael ben Eliza, Rabbi Zadok and lochanan ben Zachai, 
who was surnamed the Splendor of Wisdom ’’ by 
reason of his learning. The Chamber of Elders was 
composed of men whose position in the world of af- 
fairs and whose riches placed them above the common 
people. Their influence in the Sanhedrim had no 
weight, because for the most part, they had neither 
the learning nor eloquence necessary to give force to 
their opinions. The most remarkable members of this 
Chamber were Simon, to whom the historian Josephus 
gives great praise, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicode- 
mus, whom our readers already know. In learning 
and reputation for honesty these three men eclipsed 
all their colleagues. 

Such were the three chambers which Caiphas had 
united in the rotunda, adjoining the Temple and which 
communicated with it by the Royal Door. 

The circumstances were grave and solemn and all 
present were well aware that the object of the reunion 
was to decide the line of conduct to be pursued in 
regard to the Prophet of Galilee. The Sanhedrim 
was nearly complete. Caiphas presided. Strange co- 
incident, his name in Hebrew — Caiphas or Kephas 
— signified Peter, and it was this name that Jesus 


STORMY SESSION 


231 


Christ had chosen for the head of His Apostles, in 
order that after Him the leader of the new religion, 
as well as that of the ancient, should be called Peter. 


XVII 

STORMY SESSION 

C AIPHAS was the type of the authoritative priest, 
absolute and violent, an ambitious, energetic 
and clever politician. The preaching of Jesus in the 
Temple during the feasts of the Dedication and of 
Tabernacles had aroused him to a state of extreme 
irritation. He no longer listened or reasoned, he sim- 
ply hated. The one preoccupation of his mind was 
to discover some means by which to cause the disap- 
pearance of the object of his hatred. He could not 
disguise his feelings in his opening address to the San- 
hedrim. He did not ask his colleagues what they 
thought of Jesus of Nazareth and His doctrine; He 
did not even broach the Messianic question, which was 
the real one to be solved by this assembly, composed 
of the most learned interpreters of the sacred writ- 
ings. He guarded himself carefully from drawing 
attention to the miracles accomplished by Jesus and 
from seeking an explanation of them. As to denying 
them, he knew well that it was not possible. 

He considered as proven and undeniable the fact 
that Jesus was a false Prophet, who held the Law of 
Moses in contempt, who disturbed public order, who 
was the declared enemy of the Jewish priesthood, a 


232 


THE CENTURION 


rebel who drew the people to Him and who would 
soon rouse Caesar’s anger, bringing upon Jerusalem 
some terrible chastisement by the Roman power. 

‘‘ The measure is full,” he cried as he finished, It 
remains for us to secure the necessary means to escape 
this evil which threatens Israel. Already it has ruined 
our authority over the people and our power, and when 
we dispute the doctrines of this Man, when we de- 
nounce Him as an unbeliever. He dares hurl at us the 
most terrible anathemas. We wished to have Him 
arrested during the festival and sent our agents to the 
Temple to apprehend and lead Him before us. But 
His power of bewitching the people is such that even 
our agents became His disciples and reported that 
never before has man spoken as He. 

‘‘ What must be done to put an end to this scandal 
and stop this peril which threatens both religion and 
country? I had thought at first that we could sum- 
mon Him before us on the ground of outrage to re- 
ligion or for blasphemy and have Him scourged. But 
after the scourging He would begin anew His preach- 
ing and would pose as a martyr before the people. 
His fame would grow in proportion to the diminution 
of our own. No, against this clever seducer of the 
people, who is already recognized as a great Prophet 
and even as the expected Messiah, and who whether 
by magic or by the power of the devil, does extraor- 
dinary things which the ignorant proclaim as miracles, 
against such an enemy, I say, flagellation and even 
imprisonment would avail nothing. 

‘‘ He must die ! It is the punishment He deserves 


STORMY SESSION 


233 


and the only one which can assure us national and re- 
ligious peace. I know that we cannot reach this result 
without the consent of the Roman Procurator. It will 
not suffice that we judge Him deserving of death ac- 
cording to our laws. Pilate alone has the right to pro- 
nounce capital sentence and have Him executed. 
But rest assured that He will not dare to resist us if 
we are united, energetic, tenacious and if we succeed 
in creating the least popular movement against the 
culprit. Pilate knows well that if we denounce Him 
at Rome for belittling our religion, our laws and the 
judgments of the Sanhedrim he will be censured. 

Nothing is easier than for us to organize in Jeru- 
salem a popular movement to exert the necessary 
pressure upon the Governor. Has not each one of 
us command over dozens of these people who are 
always ready to create an uprising for the sake of a 
few coins ? And note well one thing ; the capital pun- 
ishment authorized by Roman law is ignominious and 
infamous. Not only does it kill, it dishonors. 

“ When the people once understand that Jesus of 
Nazareth has been judged worthy of death by the San- 
hedrim, that Pilate has pronounced sentence, that the 
culprit is to die upon a cross, they will at last realize 
that Jesus of Nazareth is nothing but a common crim- 
inal. No one will dare acknowledge that he has been 
His disciple, because no one will dare draw down upon 
himself the suspicion of the courts, the condemnation 
of both religious and civil authority. 

This is my opinion, my dear colleagues, and I 
doubt not that it will meet with the assent of all.’’ 


234 


THE CENTURION 


This discourse, rather unworthy of a judge who 
accused and condemned before the trial, met with 
almost unanimous applause. Then silence fell, and 
for a moment it was thought no one would dare an- 
swer the High Priest. Gamaliel looked around him, 
thinking that some of the head Sadducees would rise 
and utter at least a few words of protest against this 
anticipated condemnation to death, but not one among 
them opened his lips. When the old Doctor in Israel, 
whose learning was so renowned, arose all eyes were 
upon him. He was a beautiful old man, tall and ro- 
bust, whose seventy years had not yet bent him and 
whose open face so full of vitality was framed in hair 
and beard as white as snow. He began in a quiet 
tone : 

“ If the trial of Jesus of Nazareth had already taken 
place, and if He had been judiciously announced, as 
the High Priest affirms Him, a false Prophet, a de- 
spiser of the Law of Moses, a rebel who would draw 
upon us the anger of Rome, I would share the opinion 
of the High Priest and would say with Him ‘ This 
man must die! ’ But the judicial proof has not been 
given of the crimes of which He is accused, and we 
have not the right to treat Him as a criminal before 
giving Him a trial. 

This trial, Sanhedrites, is the gravest, most com- 
plicated and most important one in which this tribunal 
has ever engaged. The question it raises is not in- 
dividual; it is national. Lift your hearts and minds, 
Sanhedrites, to the height of this great question which 
I will place before you on its proper ground. As a 


STORMY SESSION 


^35 


nation, we have arrived at a memorable epoch of our 
history, an epoch which for a long while has been 
predicted and expected. It is the opinion of those 
who have studied the prophets with greatest zeal that 
the time appointed by them is accomplished and that 
the Messiah should be born and living to-day in our 
midst. 

“ Messianism, as you know, is the great dogma of 
our religion ; because of it our nation has survived all 
the crises and trials through which it has passed, and 
the events of which we are the witnesses appear to be 
preparing a decisive evolution in our national life. 
Ancient Judaism, the only true religion on earth for 
fifteen centuries, appears to me to have given Israel 
all that it contains of truth, of life and of light. It 
has been the foundation of its national existence, has 
assured its progress, its development, its marvelous 
restoration after great misfortunes and has given it 
centuries of glory. 

‘‘ But the days of its transformation have come, and 
Messianism ought to create its peaceful reformation. 
It is a renewal of religion that is preached by Jesus 
of Nazareth, who announces Himself to be the Mes- 
siah. 

‘‘ Is He really the Messiah ? Here you have the 
true question. To kill this Man at this moment, is not 
to solve it ; it is to cut it off, violently and prematurely. 
Israel has come in this epoch of its history to the 
place where the road divides. The choice lies in the 
parting of the ways before us, and this definite choice 
which admits of no possible return you would make 


236 


THE CENTURION 


brusquely, summarily, of your own will, while listening 
only to your prejudices, your anger and the voice of 
your threatened interests. Now I cannot approve such 
conduct, and I say we must await the development 
and result of this religious movement created by Je- 
sus of Nazareth. We will judge of the tree by its 
fruits. 

“ Why precipitate the solution of such a compli- 
cated problem? Up to this time, what harm has Je- 
sus done to the crowds which follow Him? Is it a 
public calamity to diminish the number of lepers, the 
possessed, the infirm, sick, dumb, and blind? You 
pretend that He has accomplished these miracles by 
the power of the devil? You must admit that it would 
be extraordinary for the devil to drive the devils out 
of the world, but if it be so, let Him do it. 

You accuse Jesus of blasphemy because He calls 
Himself the Son of God. But, if He be so really, 
which of you can demonstrate through the Scriptures 
that the expected Messiah is to be nothing more than 
a man? I admit it is difficult to believe that a man 
can be a God. But there are in the Scriptures many 
words which I could quote which attribute divine son- 
ship to the Messiah. And then the question is to 
know whether Jesus be the Messiah or not. 

They say, again, that the Messiah is to be a king 
and to re-establish the kingdom of Juda. But it seems 
to me more than doubtful that the religious evolution 
to be accomplished by the Messiah is to be also a po- 
litical evolution. That He is called to rule over souls, 
and by the same means over nations, I believe, but I 


STORMY SESSION 237^ 

doubt very much that He is to wield a sword and re- 
establish the political kingdom of Juda. 

‘‘ Neither does this appear to be the work which 
Jesus of Nazareth proposes to do. When the crowd 
wished to proclaim Him king, He fled, and He declares 
to those who hear Him that the kingdom He will 
found is not of this world. Therefore it must be the 
kingdom of souls. From this, I do not see that His 
work could possibly injure Rome. However, we are 
not responsible for Rome’s interests ; let us leave 
to the Procurator the care and anxiety of watching 
over it. 

“ I conclude that our attitude with regard to Jesus 
of Nazareth should be one of expectation, observation 
and study. Add to this doubt, if you will. Continue 
the watch you have placed upon Him. I do not object 
to it. Even engage in debate with Him on theolog- 
ical, dogmatic and moral questions, if your heart 
prompt you to do so. I will follow it with lively 
interest. Several of you have already attempted it; 
try again. You have studied the Scriptures much 
more than He. Demonstrate to the people that He 
is ignorant in the knowledge of God. This procedure 
will be more humane and quite as efficacious as put- 
ting Him to death, and more glorious for you. 

I repeat, Sanhedrites, the situation is grave, and 
must be met with the calm and circumspection that 
befits serious and responsible men. Do not hasten 
events. Time is the great cure for most ills, above 
all for national and religious crises. Let us have 
patience and carefully weigh the reasons the friends 


THE CENTURION 


238 

of Jesus of Nazareth have for upholding His Messi- 
anic pretensions. I recapitulate them: 

‘‘First: The time has arrived for the coming of 
the Messiah. The prophecies are clear on this point, 
and I defy you to indicate another epoch. And, I 
ask, is there among us or among our acquaintance, 
anyone who would dare proclaim himself the Messiah 
without provoking a general burst of ridicule? No, 
there is not. Jesus of Nazareth alone dares do it, and 
even if it shocks us we have not the right to laugh. 
Why? Because He says at the same time, ‘If you 
do not believe My word believe My work.’ 

“ Who among us can say as much ? Who can show 
deeds such as His from which it can be concluded 
that He is Master of the elements, of the forces of 
nature, of health, of life and death? And if we do 
not want Him, we must find another, because it is cer- 
tain that the time fixed by the prophets has come. 

“ Second : The prophecies have not only fixed the 
epoch for the coming of the Messiah for centuries, they 
have described His life and death. There are in the 
life of the Nazarean up to this day many facts which 
accord with the prophetic narratives, and if you carry 
out your plan, you yourselves will accomplish in Jesus 
of Nazareth the end forecast in the prophecies relative 
to the Messiah; the manner of death you prepare for 
Him has been predicted. 

“Third: You reproach Him for giving testimony 
of Himself. But reflect a little, Sanhedrites; would 
you recognize a Messiah who during His mortal life 
would not claim His title and who Himself would not 


STORMY SESSION 


239 


affirm His Messianic character? Would you under- 
stand a Messiah who would answer your interroga- 
tions saying, ' No, I am not the Christ ’ ? Jesus of 
Nazareth owes this testimony to us, if He be truly the 
Messiah. He must tell us if it is the truth. But He 
must understand that His testimony must be based 
on works whose genuineness He will prove, and our 
duty is to investigate these deeds. 

‘‘ The other day in the Temple several of you inter- 
rogated Him, putting this question directly to Him, 
‘ If thou art the Christ, declare it openly.’ He an- 
swered, ' I tell it you, and you do not believe Me.’ 
Then the crowd took up stones to stone Him. Is this 
justice? Sanhedrites, our duty is to inform ourselves 
fully of the origin of Jesus of Nazareth, and partic- 
ularly of the works which He does as proof that He 
is divine. If His undertaking be human, it will be 
its own destruction, but if it be divine it will triumph 
in spite of all your efforts.” 

This speech met with a glacial silence. Pharisees 
and Sadducees alike trembled with rage. The Scribes 
turned to Onkelos. 

Though one of the younger members of this ven- 
erable assembly, Onkelos could not resist expressing 
his opinion. He was acknowledged to be well versed 
in the Mosaic law. His clever works were well 
known, above all his commentary on the Pentateuch 
in the Chaldaic tongue. He not only spoke his own 
language, Greek, with rare eloquence, but also Latin, 
Chaldaic and Hebrew. Devoured by ambition, proud 
of his intellect and genius he had already made for 


240 


THE CENTURION 


himself an eminent position in the Chamber of the 
Scribes, and it was said that he would be a worthy 
follower of Hillel and the Gamaliels, so it was with 
marked interest that his discourse was received. 

He declared at first that Messianism would not only 
be a religious evolution but a gradual and peaceful 
political evolution. However, this second mission of 
the Messiah was, according to his idea, less certain 
than the first. The prophetic texts on tfiis subject 
not only did not agree, they seemed to contradict each 
other. One represented the Messiah as a conquering 
king; another as a man despised, outraged, abased and 
persecuted, subject to all sorts of humiliation and suf- 
fering. Whence Onkelos gathered that the principal 
mission of the Messiah would be the renewal of an- 
cient Judaism and the infusion of new ideas into old 
beliefs. 

You know, Sanhedrites, my deep and unchange- 
able attachment to Jewish monotheism, and you know 
with what strong conviction I renounced the polythe- 
ism of my fathers. But neither are you ignorant of 
my great admiration for the Grecian philosophers. 
Socrates and Plato have bequeathed to the world fun- 
damental truths which all nations should accept as the 
highest summit the human mind can reach in its rela- 
tionship to the divinity. But the religious evolution 
of which I dream, and which the Messiah should bring 
about, is a Neo- Judaism, an infusion of the most ideal 
doctrines of Grecian philosophy into monotheism. 
Such an evolution would renew even the foundation 
of the synagogue and would make the Jewish priest- 


STORMY SESSION 


241 


hood more powerful, more influential than ever, to 
such a point that it must soon reduce Roman domina- 
tion to an honorary supremacy, tearing from it, not 
by force but by a warfare altogether intellectual, the 
prerogatives of a people, free and independent. Ac- 
cording to my view, this is the mission of the expected 
Messiah; to conquer not only the intelligence of Israel 
but of all nations. 

“ Sanhedrites, when I learned all that was said of 
Jesus of Nazareth, I asked myself if He were the 
Man sent by God to accomplish this mission. I have 
observed Him, have inquired about Him. I have 
awaited events and have tried with several of my com- 
patriots to obtain speech with Him. His conversation 
disappointed us. He does not speak the language of 
the schools; He ignores scientific and philosophical 
methods. He is not a scholar. He is a visionary. 
The visions which pass before His mind He tries to 
show us, but our eyes, too weak, perhaps, cannot al- 
ways see them. Some of His doctrines appear to be 
borrowed from our great philosophers, but He does 
not seem to doubt — He affirms that they come to Him 
from His Father. 

'‘Who is He whom He calls Father? He allows 
it to be understood that He is God. He is, evidently, 
an extraordinary Man, but who is He and what does 
He desire ? He must tell us clearly and prove for us 
He is in reality the ideal Messiah whom we expect. 
The kingdom He proposes to establish appears imag- 
inary ; it is the dream of a visionary. He who wishes 
to found a lasting achievement must secure for him- 


242 


THE CENTURION 


self the support of influential men of high and pow- 
erful position; must place before the eyes of his par- 
tisans honor, or other advantages. But Jesus of 
Nazareth has selected His future ministers from 
among the ignorant and simple in the most obscure 
ranks of the people. Far from conciliating the au- 
thorities and those with fortune and influence, He 
speaks against them and tries to destroy their power. 

And what does He preach to His followers ? 
Poverty, sufYering, the renunciation of the good things 
of this world. What does He promise them? A 
place in His imaginary kingdom in the country of 
dreams, which kingdom shall only be established after 
His death. All this is contrary to human reason, to 
the teaching of history and the experience of centuries. 
Therefore, the work of the pretended Messiah is nec- 
essarily condemned to the most ignominious failure. 

‘‘ Must we conclude by this that we are to allow 
Him to continue His work? No! Every attempted 
organization which is dangerous should be suppressed 
that it may have no chance of success. Jesus is the 
declared enemy of the priesthood. He undermines 
its authority and destroys its glory. He also opposes 
the Scribes, refuting and demolishing their teaching 
and interpretation of the Scriptures. This twofold 
combat will react on religion itself, and I believe it is 
high time to take measures against this Innovator. I 
do not say it is urgent to decree His death, but we 
must seek means to suppress the propaganda He 
has initiated and to put an end to His teaching, sub- 
versive alike of the social and religious orders.’’ 


STORMY SESSION 


243 


This speech produced a great impression on the 
calmer portion of the audience and was much ap* 
plauded. 

Other members of the Sanhedrim, priests and 
Scribes, among them the Rabbi Zadok, Ismael ben 
Phabi and Helkias, treasurer of the Temple, spoke 
in turn. As they were incapable of answering the 
calm and conciliating speech of Gamaliel, they con- 
tented themselves with abusing Jesus and turning the 
naif and simple persons who formed His escort into 
ridicule, telling amusing stories about the disciples. 
They also feigned astonishment at hearing a man of 
such reputation as Gamaliel make so unexpected a 
discourse. Several of them insinuated that age in- 
variably weakened the most brilliant faculties; that 
Gamaliel would not have fallen into this mistake in 
the vigor of his great talent. Jonathas ben Uziel 
alone, scholarly author of the Chaldaic paraphrases 
on the Pentateuch and the prophets, dared to advance 
some objections against the arguments of Gamaliel. 
He held that the old scholar could find the Messianic 
character of Jesus only in the pretended prophecies of 
Daniel. 

For you know, Sanhedrites, that in my study of 
the Prophets I dispute this title to Daniel and have 
shown that the book attributed to Him is apocryphal. 
But there are two things admitted by everyone; one 
that the Messiah should be of the race of David and 
the other that He should be born in Bethlehem. But 
Jesus of Nazareth gets His name from the obscure 


244 


THE CENTURION 


village where He was born, and His parents are 
humble Galileans, working people whom everyone 
there knows. 

From the beginning we have expected a glorious 
Messiah, a Messiah, who as Isaias says, ^ Will 
prosper and grow, will be exalted and elevated 
above all; before whom kings shall be silent.' But 
I do not see in the Nazarean any of these traits of 
grandeur." 

Prince Nicodemus of the Chamber of Elders rose 
then and said : 

Sanhedrites, you know that I am a Pharisee and 
recognize that Jesus of Nazareth in His speeches often 
addresses hard sayings to us. I suffer from them as 
do you, but this does not prevent my admiration for 
the transcendent genius of this man, nor my being con- 
vinced by the wonders He works that at least He is 
a great Prophet and Thaumaturgist. It has been 
said that His works are fables to which alone the 
credulity of a simple people can give credit. Well, 
Sanhedrites, I am one of these simple people. But 
before believing, I secured all the information pos- 
sible. I interrogated those who had been miraculously 
healed and the witnesses of the miracles. 

‘‘ Have you already forgotten the cure of the man 
born blind? It is barely seven months since it was 
performed here at our door, and several members of 
this high tribunal made inquiry to assure us of the 
truth of this fact. We had him who had been blind 
and who had received his sight brought before us, 
as well as his parents, his friends and the witnesses 


STORMY SESSION 


245 


of the miracle, and we questioned them all. The 
proof was convincing. Several of our colleagues 
abused him whose eyes Jesus of Nazareth had opened, 
because his testimony did not please them; but abuse 
is not reason.’’ 

‘‘ Are you also a Galilean ? ” ironically asked 
Eleazar, son of Annas. Eleazar,” answered Nico- 
demus, I am not ignorant of the scornful sense 
which you attach to the title of Galilean, but your 
ironies do not touch me. I am not a Galilean, neither 
am I a priest nor the son of a High Priest like your- 
self. I do not live by religion, nor from the temple, 
nor from the revenues which it assures the priesthood, 
this is why the success of Jesus of Nazareth can 
neither annoy nor serve me. You all know, San- 
hedrites, that I am of independent fortune and have 
neither political nor social ambition to gratify. If 
Jesus of Nazareth be but a man. He can do nothing 
against me nor for me. But I realize that He can do 
a great deal against you, priests and Scribes, and I 
clearly understand your animosity against Him. (In- 
terruptions and cries.) 

‘‘You dread a religious evolution, the institution 
of a new priesthood, a new creed which shall abol- 
ish bloody sacrifices and empty the treasury of the 
Temple. (Cries of rage.) 

“ Do not shout. I was going to add that you are 
right; yes, you are right to fear for your future. 
The new priesthood is instituted, the new creed is 
affirmed, religious evolution is being accomplished and 
already has drawn a great number of disciples to 


246 


THE CENTURION 


itself. The new priesthood will replace the old, new 
preaching founded on the spirit and not on the letter 
of the Scriptures, threatens to empty your chairs. 
Scribes, and no one will longer read your paraphrases 
and your commentaries. (Murmurings.) 

All your prestige and authority is in danger. I 
see it plainly, and if the sacrifices are abolished, your 
tables, priests and pontiffs, shall be swept clean. (In- 
terruptions.) Therein lies your peril, in the success 
of Jesus of Nazareth, and it clearly explains your wish 
to do away with Him. This is also why I am a more 
disinterested and impartial judge than yourselves. 
(Cries.) And to judge of this cause with full un- 
derstanding, I propose that we make a minute in- 
vestigation for the purpose of discovering exactly the 
origin of Jesus, that if trickery or fraud exist we may 
discover it.’’ (Shouts and tumult.) 

Then Joseph of Arimathea, vir probus but non 
dicendi peritus, spoke simply saying. 

For my own satisfaction I have already begun 
the examination requested by our colleague Nico- 
demus. You know that I own great properties in 
Bethlehem and Nazareth, as I do in different parts of 
Judea and Galilee. While on business in these dif- 
ferent places I enquired about Jesus of Nazareth, and 
this it what I have learned. 

‘‘Jesus is to-day thirty-three years of age. He 
was not born in Nazareth but in Bethlehem, during 
a visit which His parents made there in the time of 
the taking of the census of, Quirinus, which happened 
as you know, Sanhedrites, thirty-three years ago. 


STORMY SESSION 


247 


Joseph, His father, was originally from Bethlehem, 
and the orders from Rome were that each person 
should be registered in his own birthplace. It was 
thus that Joseph and Mary found themselves in Beth- 
lehem at that time. 

Inhabitants of Nazareth fifty and sixty years of 
age are not lacking, and they remember very well 
that Joseph and Mary started alone for Bethlehem and 
returned two years later to Nazareth with a son a 
little under two years old. In the interval, this family 
had gone into Egypt and lived there more than a 
year. This is known by everyone at Nazareth. At 
the same time the other members of His family in- 
formed me of His genealogy, which proves that 
Joseph and Mary are both descended from the royal 
race of David. 

Later on, I went to Bethlehem, and in a little 
neighboring village several shepherds, of fifty years 
of age and more, recounted to me the extraordinary 
events which took place in Bethlehem at the birth of 
a child who afterwards became Jesus of Nazareth. 
These are the facts, and you can inform yourselves, 
as I did, of their veracity. 

‘‘ Hence, the Messianic pretensions of Jesus of 
Nazareth are justified on these two points : He is of 
the race of David, and He was born in Bethlehem in 
the country of the Prophet-King. I invite Jonathas 
ben Uziel to verify these facts.’’ 

The Sanhedrites became impatient, and one of the 
Scribes said, ‘‘ Behold us now in the realm of fiction.” 

Then rose the High Priest Annas. He vi^as suf- 


248 


THE CENTURION 


located with indignation and pulled his long beard 
with a nervous hand. 

‘‘ It is time, Sanhedrites, to put an end to this 
scandalous debate. Nothing proves better the urgency 
of acting against Jesus of Nazareth than the humiliat- 
ing fact of His having found defenders and made 
proselytes among us ourselves. The question is very 
simple to my eyes, and in order to judge it, I place 
myself on the same ground as the disguised disciples 
of the false Prophet. 

‘‘What need have we of a trial? You have heard 
the proselytes yourselves. That which their Master 
wishes is to transform the established religion, to 
substitute a new priesthood for the old, a new creed 
for that which we received from Moses. And these 
blind defenders of a false Messiah do not see that 
His work is criminal! Yes, as priests, we fear this 
clever and astute Innovator who wishes, in truth, to 
abolish the law and not to perfect it, because in ruin- 
ing the priesthood. He will ruin also religion itself. 
There is no religion without a priesthood, and the 
enemy of the priest is the enemy of the nation. 

“ We are the guardians of the Mosaic law. It is 
the divine code for humanity. The very desire of 
altering it is a crime. It is the ark of our covenant 
with Jehovah. Whoever dares to touch it commits 
a sacrilege. Anathema to him who wishes to destroy 
this holy ark. Anathema to him who wishes to touch 
the anointed of the Lord. He has already lived too 
long I ’’ 

In spite of the applause which greeted this ful- 


STORMY SESSION 


249 


minating harangue, several . of the Scribes and Elders 
still hesitated and some of them proposed to organize 
a trial and inflict on Jesus of Nazareth punishment 
by flagellation. But Caiphas, beside himself, cried 
out, 

“You understand nothing! To what good would 
serve a chastisement that would allow this profane 
and sacrilegious reprobate who wishes to destroy the 
Temple to live. He must die under the weight of 
a double condemnation, pronounced by us, representa- 
tives of God on earth, and by the representative of 
Caesar, Master of the universe! His death, which 
must be surrounded by the majesty and infallibility of 
the law, must at the same time be ignominious and 
of such nature as to drown His prestige in humiliation 
and public scorn ! However it be. He must die for the 
salvation of the people and, according to Roman law, 
the death of the cross ! ” 

“ It will be the accomplishment of the Messianic 
prophecy ! ’’ Gamaliel dared to say. 

“ It does not matter,’' answered Caiphas. 

“ And if He be the Messiah? ” added Gamaliel. 

“ Well, then so much the worse for the Messiah,” 
cried Caiphas. 

“ But I,” parried Gamaliel, “ I say, so much the 
worse for the Jewish people.” 

At these words, a veritable tumult arose in the 
august assemblage. Gamaliel, Nicodemus, Joseph of 
Aramithea and several others left the room. 

Then, when calm was established, the following 
resolutions were taken unanimously : 


250 


THE CENTURION 


First, whoever dares uphold Jesus of Nazareth as 
the Messiah shall be cut off from Jewish society, ex- 
cluded from the Temple and dedicated to the devil! 

“ Second, whoever knows where Jesus of Nazareth 
may be shall declare Him to the Sanhedrim for ar- 
rest.’’ 

This decree of execration (choerem) was the second 
degree of excommunication according to Jewish law. 

The third Schammata involved sentence of death. 
But first of all it was necessary to arrest Jesus. He 
had left Jerusalem on His way to Ephraim, on the 
border of the desert. 


PART IV 


FINAL COMBAT AND DEFEAT OF THE 
SON OF MAN 

I 

TRIUMPH OF A DAY 

S EVERAL times since the beginning of His public 
life, Jesus had aroused the enthusiasm and ac- 
clamations of the people. His extraordinary preach- 
ing, His mighty miracles had drawn multitudes after 
Him, in the valleys, on the mountains, on the banks of 
the Sea of Genezareth, as far as the solitudes of 
Persea. However, in Jerusalem He had met with 
enemies, numerous and powerful. The chief priests, 
the Pharisees and Scribes, members of the Sanhe- 
drim, warred so intensely against Him, that the in- 
timidated people no longer dared manifest sympathy 
for the Son of David. 

His apostles, as also His disciples. His relatives. 
His friends, used all their efforts to keep Him away 
from the city. But the Feast of the Passover drew 
near, and from the most remote parts of Palestine 
caravans started on their journey to Jerusalem. 

Spring had come, and in this beautiful sunny 
country scattered flowers and fragrance everywhere. 
The days were very warm in the beginning of this 

251 


252 


THE CENTURION 


April, so caravans traveled by night under the light 
of the stars and of the new moon, whose crescent 
grew larger night after night. 

As if by instinct Jesus one morning entered with 
the rest into the great popular movement and took 
the road which led to Jerusalem, accompanied by His 
disciples. Numbers of pilgrims joined them, and be- 
fore long they formed an immense caravan. Most 
of the men traveled on foot, and many women fol- 
lowed mounted on donkeys. 

At midday a long stop was made on the banks of 
the Jordan under the shadow of great palm trees. 
The meal and siesta terminated, once more they be- 
gan their march. Conversation languished and ceased 
altogether as night approached, but when the sun had 
disappeared behind the mountains of Judea and when 
the moon showed its fine profile above the leafy 
branches of the palm trees, the pilgrims shouted aloud, 
for they had caught sight of the crenelated towers of 
Jericho which seemed to scale the mountains of Judea 
on the right. 

Already the perfume from the '' City of Balsam and 
Roses '' reached them. The domes of the amphi- 
theatre and the race course built by the Romans were 
clearly visible above the walls, and on the left ex- 
tended the great plain bathed at its edge by the Dead 
Sea. 

Jesus walked silently at the head of His disciples 
who communed with each other in low voices. Dark 
presentiments disturbed them, and they asked them- 
selves what would become of their Master should He 


TRIUMPH OF A DAY 


253 


show Himself in Jerusalem, but they did not dare ques- 
tion Him. Suddenly, Jesus who read their thoughts, 
moderated His pace, waited for them and said, 

‘‘ Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all that the 
prophets have announced concerning the Son of Man 
shall be accomplished. He will be delivered to the 
chief priests, and to the Scribes, condemned to death, 
given into the hands of the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, 
crucified, — and He will rise again the third day.’’ 

What a terrible answer to the mute interrogation 
of the disciples! And so, then, the die was cast, and 
the climax of the drama approached. The great 
Prophet had, indeed, on different occasions, allowed 
the sad end awaiting Him to be known, but His dark 
predictions had not been understood, and His disciples 
had not wished to believe in the possible triumph of 
His enemies. How could such an extraordinary Man, 
one who commanded the elements, sickness and death, 
allow Himself to be vanquished, condemned, cruci- 
fied ? And if He were going to be put to death, who 
then would establish this kingdom of which He spoke 
so often to them? No, He could not die; at least, 
not at this time. His work had only started; His 
mission had scarcely begun. However, the awful 
prophecy had fallen once more from the lips of the 
Divine Man, and this time in terms clear, precise and 
formal. The lamentable event is near at hand. 

These are His last days that are beginning. It is 
the last journey He will make. Farewell, beautiful 
Galilee, country of His childhood; farewell, lovelier 
Lake of Genezareth, with your memory-laden banks; 

17 


^54 


THE CENTURION 


now the Son of Man must go up to Jerusalem, and He 
must die. The decree has gone forth; it is the Will 
of His Father and it is His Will. He is going there 
to die; because He wills it and because it must be. 
It is by His death alone that the world will be born 
anew. It is in His blood that man shall be washed 
and purified. It is His tomb which shall be the cradle 
of the new kingdom, and the sooner it be so, the 
better; for in this tomb He will remain but three 
days, and because He will come forth from it alive, 
humanity will live again. The apostles and disciples 
remained plunged in stupor and sadness, for the pre- 
dicted resurrection gave them but a vague hope. It 
was not under this form they had expected the definite 
triumph. It seemed to them that passing through 
the most ignominious death to arrive at final glory was 
a dreary road. They did not understand the words 
of the Master. They could not grasp that each event 
has its hour marked in the designs of Providence, 
and one must know how to await it. 

In the beginning, Jesus had fled from Jerusalem 
and even from Galilee when His enemies had wished 
to kill Him. On several occasions He had miracu- 
lously escaped out of their hands. And why? Be- 
cause His hour had not yet come. But to-day the 
hour approaches; the voluntary victim will deliver 
Himself. He walks freely and steadily in the face 
of this death which He foresees and announces. 

But before dying, He wishes to give His enemies 
a new proof of His power, even terrestrial. He 
wishes to show them that the nation is with Him, and 


TRIUMPH OF A DAY 


255 


that if He were on the earth to play the role of 
revolutionary and conqueror, He would have but to 
desire it. What could the Jewish priesthood and the 
synagogue, even the Roman power itself, do against 
His word alone and His miracles? But any possible 
demonstration of His power and popularity could not 
open the eyes of the Sanhedrites, the Scribes and the 
priests. There is a miracle which God cannot per- 
form, so much does He respect human liberty. This 
is to cure the voluntarily blind; only those who wish 
to see can be cured. 

On the side of the road which led from ancient 
Jericho to the new city two blind beggars had sat for 
many years longing for sight. When the procession 
drew near, their penetrating cries could be heard 
through the noise of the acclamations. ‘‘ Have pity 
on us, Lord, Son of David.’’ Jesus had them brought 
to Him, touched their eyes and cured them. 

Then He continued on His way, seeking a lodging 
for the night. Suddenly He perceived a very little 
man who, the better to see Him, had climbed into the 
branches of a sycamore. “ Zacheus,” cried Jesus, 
“ hasten to come down, that I may stop in thy house.” 

Zacheus, a publican, collector of taxes and as such 
hated by all, was the more detested because he was 
rich. Thus it was a scandal for the Jews to see Jesus 
ask his hospitality, when there were in the city Levites 
and nobles who would have been proud to receive 
Him. But Jesus knew that Zacheus, who did not 
dream of this honor, had already opened his heart to 
Him and would be overjoyed to open to Him his 


256 


THE CENTURION 


house also. Zacheus proved it by generous hospi- 
tality and by saying to his guest on the following 
morning, “ Lord, I give half of all my goods to the 
poor and for all the wrong which I have done pay 
again a fourth.’’ 

From early morning, an immense crowd surrounded 
the approach to Zacheus’ house. The arrival of 
Jesus, His cure of the two blind men had thrown the 
whole city into excitement. A great number wished 
to accompany the Prophet as far as Jerusalem, con- 
vinced that there He would accomplish wonders and 
re-establish the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, when 
He took His way anew to the Holy City, Jesus was 
followed by a multitude. The road is sinuous and 
winds along through the defiles of the mountains 
where the sun’s rays are concentrated, and the travel- 
ers’ steps were slow. Towards evening, when the 
sun had set behind the crest of the Mount of Olives, 
the long procession of pilgrims was winding its way 
up the eastern slope with Jesus at its head. 

Bethany, the hospitable village that He loved, ex- 
pected Him, and there He spent the night. The fol- 
lowing day a great banquet was given him by Simon, 
surnamed the Leper, and among the numerous guests 
was Lazarus, Jesus’ intimate friend whom He had 
raised from death several weeks before. 

The serenity of Jesus and His graciousness toward 
all could not remove the grave and solemn character 
of this banquet. This army of the faithful expe- 
rienced the same emotions as those of soldiers on the 
eve of battle. The shadow of the dark days that were 


TRIUMPH OF A DAY 


257 


to follow lay heavy upon the guests. They spoke in 
low tones. Jesus Himself had a look of sadness and 
even of austerity when Judas, faithless guardian of 
the common purse, dared blame Myriam for renew- 
ing the scene of Magdala and pouring a perfume of 
great price on the head and feet of the Saviour. He 
then pronounced these sad and prophetic words, 

“ Do not blame this woman for her good action ; for 
the poor you have always with you, but me you 
have not always.’’ And the better to make it un- 
derstood that His death was near at hand. He added, 

‘‘ It is for my burial that she has anointed me.” 

During all this time Jerusalem had become filled 
with pilgrims who came from all corners of Judea, 
Galilee and even Samaria, to celebrate the Passover. 
Nearly a million strangers obstructed the streets and 
public places. The porticoes and vestibules of the 
Temple were especially crowded, and everywhere a 
great number of people sought the Prophet. Where 
was He? How had it happened that He had not yet . 
arrived ? Was it possible that He was not coming for 
the great Feast of the Passover? At last the news of 
His arrival spread throughout the multitude. ''He 
had come to Bethany Friday night, and there He had 
spent the Sabbath. A great banquet had been given 
Him, and this morning He is to set out for Jerusa- 
lem.” 

The multitude scattered, and numberless groups 
came out from the Temple and hastened into the val- 
ley of the Cedron, climbing the side of the Mount of 
Olives to meet Him. 


THE CENTURION 


258 

Suddenly, far-away acclamations resounded, and 
from the point where the path turns around the sum- 
mit of Olivet, a long and noisy procession could be 
seen. It was like a living stream coming from the 
heights. At the head slowly came the Prophet, 
dressed in white, mounted upon an ass. The immense 
crowd sang as it followed Him, shouting cries of 
enthusiasm! On the edge of the road other crowds 
waved palm branches, flags, banners and covered the 
ground over which the Saviour passed with leaves 
and with their garments, filling the air with their 
cries of triumph. ‘‘ Hosanna 1 Hosanna 1 Glory to 
the Son of David! Blessed be the king of Israel! 
Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Cord! 
Glory from the highest heavens! Hosanna! Ho- 
sanna ! ” 

In a short time the walls of the city which faced 
Mt. Olivet, the platforms of the bastions and towers, 
the immense porticoes of Solomon and the terraces 
of the Temple were covered with spectators watch- 
ing the interminable and clamorous procession de- 
scending into the valley of Jehosaphat and again 
mounting the rocky hill which led to the ‘‘ Sheep 
Gate.’’ 

Leaning on the balustrade of the terrace that 
crowned the Gilded Door ” of the Temple, Nico- 
demus and Gamaliel watched this scene with joy and 
wonder, while Gamaliel recited to his friend the 
prophecy of Zacharius, “ Rejoice, daughter of Zion ! 
Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold thy 
King cometh to thee; humble and sweet. He brings 


TRIUMPH OF A DAY 


259 

salvation, poor He is and is mounted on the foal of 
an ass/' 

Ah, Nicodemus, there you have before your eyes 
the realization of the prophecy." 

On the summit of the Tower of Antonia, the Cen- 
turion with Claudia and Camilla, the Roman soldiers 
and the guards of Pilate’s palace also watched, while 
several old officers, who had assisted at the triumph 
of Augustus in Rome, said to each other : “ This 

is a real triumph, not conventional but spontaneous; 
not organized with the price of gold like the triumphs 
of great generals at Rome. Those who follow here 
are not unhappy victims condemned to death, cursing 
their destiny and their victors, but are the innumer- 
able happy people whom He has cured of illness and 
infirmity.’’ 

When the triumphal procession had passed through 
the gates of the city walls and directed itself toward 
the Temple, the jealous and furious Pharisees made 
their way through the crowd and approaching Jesus, 
said to Him, 

‘‘ Master, silence your disciples.’’ But Jesus with 
majestic calm and full of dignity answered, “If they 
be silent, the stones themselves will cry out ! ’’ 

The irritation of the Pharisees grew in measure 
with the popular enthusiasm, and the manifestation 
assumed proportions disquieting enough for the syn- 
agogue and the Jewish priesthood. The entire city 
was stirred. The most peaceful people left their 
houses and asked from; whence came this new man- 
ner of victor, and the crowd repeated, “ It is the 


26 o 


THE CENTURION 


Prophet! It is Jesus of Nazareth! Hosanna to the 
Son of David ! ” 

He entered the Temple like a sovereign going into 
His palace, and when the effervescent enthusiasm of 
the believers had been appeased, His marvelous words 
could be heard by all the people. The sick and the 
infirm were then brought Him to be cured, and when 
night approached He tranquilly took His way to Beth- 
any with His apostles. 

Never had triumph so deeply agitated the Holy City. 
No human intelligence could have foreseen that it 
was the last and that the strife about to be renewed 
was to be for this all-powerful Victor a defeat, com- 
plete and final. 


II 

THE LAST APPEAL 

S TRANGE contradiction in human nature that, 
while it has invincible need of the Divine, hates 
it because in conflict with it. It hates only the true 
God, and, when it overturns His altars, makes unto 
itself false gods. These do not oppose human na- 
ture but pander to its evil passions. Such were the 
gods of the Greeks and Romans, personifying vice 
rather than virtue. This double tendency of human 
nature has been manifested a thousand times in the 
history of the Jewish people in a more striking man- 
ner than in any other nation. 

When the Jews repelled Jehovah and His proph- 


THE LAST APPEAL 


261 


ets, they created for themselves false divinities. 
Then, when the need of a real god seized them, they 
crushed the idols underfoot and returned to the wor- 
ship of Jehovah. But still they bore hatred in their 
hearts for the true and only God. This perverse side 
of human nature may explain in a certain measure 
how so many of the Jews became the rabid enemies of 
Jesus, who spent His life in doing good. They op- 
posed Him, either in the name of religion which they 
themselves did not practise, or in the name of Csesar, 
whose yoke they would have been glad to shake off; 
but always they were bitter in their hatred towards 
Him. 

But the most terrible of Jesus’ enemies were not 
among the common people. They belonged to the 
governing classes. They represented religious au- 
thority, learning and riches, effete luxuriousness. 
They formed the powerful body known as the Sanhe- 
drim, which was made up of the priests. Scribes and 
Elders. 

The first, a proud and fawning aristocracy whom 
caste spirit rendered intolerant, actively sought the 
honors and benefices attached to the sacerdotal func- 
tions. The Scribes were the Doctors in Israel, au- 
thorized interpreters of the Scriptures, and though less 
powerful than the priests, had great authority over 
public opinion. The Elders of the people owed their 
influence to their riches and social position. It is 
only necessary to reflect for an instant in order to 
understand that Jesus would find bitter enemies in 
these three Chambers of the Sanhedrim. He could 


262 


THE CENTURION 


not expect to be welcomed by a priesthood that He 
proposed to abolish. The Scribes, infatuated with 
their learning and convinced that the Messiah, when 
He should come, would look to them for the establish- 
ment of His kingdom, could not extend their sympathy 
to this Nazarean, who surrounded Himself with igno- 
rant people, and chose the future heads of His Church 
from among poor fishermen of Galilee. As to the 
Elders, they would naturally receive with scant cour- 
tesy this Reformer who preached contempt for riches 
and honor. For during His three years of public 
preaching how had He treated these haughty person- 
ages who were to be His judges? How often had He 
humiliated the Pharisaical priests by demonstrating 
publicly that they neither knew nor observed the Law 
of Moses! How often had He convicted the Scribes 
of ignorance and ridiculed their pretended learning! 
How often had He predicted misfortune for the ‘‘ Rich 
of this world ! 

And now, these people steeped in luxury, these 
false doctors, these corrupted priests were to judge 
of His life and teaching! Was He not condemned 
beforehand? 

But what a moving spectacle this was — this con- 
flict between the synagogue and Jesus! On the one 
side, self-interest, envy, jealousy, hatred, hypocrisy, 
intrigue; on the other, integrity, frankness, good-will 
and even charity. The synagogue set a trap for the 
new Prophet. Everywhere, it had its confederates 
who followed, watched and questioned Him, making 
reports to the chief priests. The most insidious ques- 


THE LAST APPEAL 


263 

tions were put to Him, now with a view of compro- 
mising Him with Caesar and representing Him as a 
rebel, again in the attempt to prove Him at variance 
with the Sacred Scriptures, to show Him to be a de- 
spiser of the Mosaic law. 

Jesus understands their perverse and deicidal de- 
signs and treats them, nevertheless, with touching kind- 
ness ; He still -endeavors to enlighten them and above 
all to show them the abyss toward which they are 
tending. In parables He strives to make them under- 
stand, that He is the bearer of salvation and truth; 
that it is to them He offers the first fruits of His mis- 
sion, but that if they wish none of them. He will give 
them to the gentiles, and it will be the gentiles who 
shall reap the harvest. Not only would the gentiles 
become inheritors of the divine promises and possess 
the kingdom which He had come to establish upon 
earth, but the Jews who misunderstood and rejected 
Him would be heavily chastised and the sceptre taken 
away from them forever. 

The day of His last preaching has come, and the 
echoes of the Temple will vibrate to His final appeal 
to this hardened nation who, having ears, hear not.'’* 

In the luminous parable of the Wedding Feast, He 
tries again to make them understand that the King 
supreme over all nations, His Father, has sent Him 
upon earth to celebrate a mystical marriage with hu- 
manity ; that they, the Jews, are the first to be invited 
to the banquet and that not only do they scorn the 
invitation but despise, beat and even kill the Prince’s 
servants, who were the Prophets. That is why the 


264 


THE CENTURION 


King, full of indignation, will command his soldiers 
to exterminate the murderers and destroy their city, 
and he will send new servants to go through all the 
streets and to bring in to the wedding feast all whom 
they should find — that is to say, all the nations. 

In another parable, which scintillates with historic 
truth, Jesus represents His Father as the father of a 
family, owner of a beautiful vineyard, surrounded with 
high walls, protected by a tower and furnished with all 
that was necessary for its cultivation. He has leased 
this vineyard, so dear to Him, to chosen vine-dressers 
and has gone away into far distant lands. From time 
to time, when the season for the vintage comes. He 
sends His servants to collect the price of the products 
of his vineyard. But the vine-dressers abuse them, 
beat and ill-treat them, stoning some and killing 
others. Then the Father sends His Own Son, and the 
vine-dressers seeing Him coming, say to each other, » 
Here is the heir; let us kill him,’’ and they put him 
to death. “ Then what would the Father do to 
these vine-dressers? ” asked Jesus of the crowd. “ He 
would treat these miserable creatures without pity,” 
they answered, and would rent His vineyard to 
others.” You are right,” answered Jesus. But the 
Jews did not understand that the homicidal vine- 
dressers were they themselves, preparing to put the 
Father’s Son to death. 

These strong appeals, which so beautifully teach the 
mercy and justice of God, awakened no echo in these 
corrupted hearts. Then Jesus changed His manner 
of speech, thinking perhaps anathemas would produce 


THE LAST APPEAL 265 

a stronger effect on such hardened souls, and, rising 
before them like an angry Judge, He cried,- < 

‘‘ Woe to you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 
who have taken the key of knowledge and used it to 
shut the kingdom of Heaven against men, for you 
yourselves do not enter, and those that are going in 
you suffer not to enter. 

‘‘ Woe to you who pillage the houses of the widow. 

Woe to you because you tithe mint and anise and 
cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; 
judgment and mercy and faith. Blind guides, who 
strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.’*" 

“ Woe to you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 
because you are like to whited sepulchres, which out- 
wardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full 
of dead men’s bones and all filthiness. . . . 

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers, you 
serpents! Generation of vipers! How will you flee 
from the judgment of hell? 

Therefore, behold I send to you prophets and wise 
men and Scribes. And some of them you will put to 
death and crucify. And some you will scourge in 
your synagogues; you persecute them from city to 
city, that upon you may come all the just blood that 
hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel 
the Just even unto the blood of Zachariah, the son of 
Barachius, whom you killed between the temple and 
the altar. Amen I say to you, all these things shall 
come upon this generation ! 

‘‘Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Thou that killest the 
prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how 


266 


THE CENTURION 


often would I have gathered together thy children as 
the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and 
thou wouldst not ! 

“ Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. 
For I say unto you, you shall not see me henceforth 
till you say, ‘ Blessed is He that cometh in the name 
of the Lord.’ ” 

Neither His tender plea nor His vehement maledic- 
tion, the most terrible that the Temple had ever heard, 
touched the heart of the Jews. It was the last appeal 
of God, and the people of God did not hear it. 


Ill 

FAREWELL TO THE TEMPLE 

I N this touching peroration of the last speech of 
Jesus in the Temple, He announced three great 
events: His death, His resurrection and the destruc- 
tion of the Temple. His death was imminent, for He 
had but three days longer to live. The Scribes and 
Pharisees who plotted against Him were less certain 
of it than He. But they must have understood that 
He was ready to die when He said, ‘‘ You will see Me 
no longer.” Did they also understand the announce- 
ment of His resurrection? Doubtless they did not. 
In any case they did not believe it. 

Jesus then sat down and for a long time was silent. 
He looked around the Temple, where He had spent 
so many days of His earthly life; He remembered 
His visit there, when He was twelve years old and 


FAREWELL TO THE TEMPLE 267 

had addressed His first speech to the Doctors in Israel. 
Several times since, He had returned into this house 
of His Fathers, for the Feast of the Passover or that 
of Tabernacles. Each time, to the age of thirty years. 
He had been silent and contented Himself with pray- 
ing there, while awaiting the day that He had fixed 
for His public ministration. 

But during the three years just passed, how many 
times He had made Himself heard in this house, 
which was His own since it was ‘‘ the house of God.” 
It was there that the multitudes had so often come 
from the far-away confines of Galilee and Samaria to 
see Him and hear Him. It was there that He had 
so often explained and commented on the Scriptures 
in the presence of the people of Jerusalem and of the 
Jewish priesthood, whose sophism and hypocrisy He 
had unveiled. His oratorical triumphs had left in 
Him no impression (because He had none of an ora- 
tor’s vanity), but He remembered the souls of those 
of good will who had opened their minds to the light 
and had believed His teaching. Oh! How He had 
loved this Temple, built by His ancestor. King Solo- 
mon, representing the faith of past generations! It 
was for this reason that twice He had driven out the 
Jewish vendors who had set up their tables in the 
court-yard of the Gentiles and under the porticoes. 

Above all, Jesus loved the beauties of nature. The 
most vivid imagination of poets could not express His 
mysterious colloquies with this creation which was 
His work and, unlike man, had not failed in its mis- 
sion. But He loved the work of human genius as 


268 


THE CENTURION 


well, spark sprung from divine intelligence, when the 
action of this genius led to the glorification of His 
Father. There is no doubt that in His attachment 
to the Temple there was a feeling of admiration for 
the architectural beauty of the edifice. And so 
He gazed at the long colonnades which surrounded 
the anteroom and at the great red and white marble 
arches of the porticoes and the pillars garlanded with 
bunches of golden grapes. He admired the majestic 
doors, almost entirely covered with gold and silver 
reliefs. His eyes wandered from the high fagade of 
the peristyle to the curve of the arcade and the wide 
architrave, sculptured as with an Oriental embroidery 
of marble. The vestibules rose one above the other 
as they approached the Holy of Holies. These super- 
imposed edifices with their double or triple rows of 
lateral colonnades, rose like a giant stairway before 
the Holy of Holies, which crowned them like an ivory 
dome with a golden roof. 

Each anteroom had its crowd of visitors, those of 
the higher vestibules dominating the inferior ones; 
below, the gentiles, above, the Jews, higher up the 
women, still above them, the priests, until at last came 
the Holy of Holies reserved for the High Priest alone. 

A learned author has written, “ All this harmony 
of the exterior Temple as well as of the interior Tem- 
ple and the sanctuary, forming rectangular inclosures 
one within the other, was full of splendor and dignity. 
From the rising of the sun when from afar on the 
Holy Mountain, the sanctuary appeared, dominating 
by a hundred cubits the two rows of porticoes which 


FAREWELL TO THE TEMPLE 269 

formed its double walls; when day shed its first rays 
on the white and red marble fagade; when the thou- 
sand different spires which surmounted the roof scin- 
tillated in the sun, it was like a mountain of snow illu- 
minated little by little and enkindled by the red fires 
of morning. The eye was dazzled, the soul amazed, 
piety awakened; even the pagan prostrated himself.” 

Jesus appeared absorbed in the contemplation of 
this masterpiece of human art, and gradually a great 
sadness enveloped His soul. He looked at all the 
beauty and richness of this monument, the fragrant 
wood, the marble of great price, the bronze, gold and 
precious stones. But in the crowd He saw circulat- 
ing there, what moral hideousness! What hidden 
filth ! What vice masquerading under the appearance 
of virtue ! And this is why this beautiful Temple must 
be destroyed. All the prevarications of the Jews 
were drawing down upon it the divine lightning. 
Longer grew the silence of Jesus and greater grew His 
sadness. For Him the future is always the present. 
He already saw the accomplishment of the horrors of 
the siege of Jerusalem by Titus and the desolation 
which would accompany the destruction of the Temple. 

His disciples drew near and tried to distract Him 
from His sad thoughts, drawing His attention to 
the great stones which formed the base of the foun- 
dation, assuring it long centuries of existence. ‘‘ In 
truth,” answered Jesus, of all this monumental con- 
struction there shall not rest a stone upon a stone.” 

Then the Master rose, and, leaving the Temple, 

took the road which led down to the Cedron. His 
18 


2^0 


THE CENTURION 


disciples followed in silence. The prediction con- 
tained in these words, ‘‘ Behold your house shall 
be left desolate,’^ already began to be accomplished. 
The Temple was no longer inhabited, because God had 
gone out of it nevermore to return. Its glory was 
ended! No more would the world come to its great 
solemnities, and when it should be burned and de- 
stroyed from top to bottom, attempts to rebuild it 
would be vain. 

Followed by His disciples, Jesus walked along by 
the wall of the Garden of Gethsemane, reflecting that 
in two days He would undergo there all the mental 
tortures of the most cruel agony. Arrived at the sum- 
mit of Mt. Olivet, He turned towards Jerusalem and 
seated Himself upon a stone by the roadside. All 
the Holy City lay beneath His eyes, but His prophetic 
vision at that time embraced all the earth and all hu- 
manity. 

His disciples wanted to know what this formidable 
vision was which appeared to Him and which so 
strangely dilated His eyes. Then Jesus raised the 
corner of the veil which hid the future from them. 
In a striking picture of grandeur and power, still en- 
veloped in mystery. He painted for them two awful 
catastrophes; the first, the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the Jewish people, the second, more awful still, the 
end of the world which would be at His final coming. 

The disciples were stupefied. But Jesus increased 
their consternation by adding, ‘‘ In two days they will 
celebrate the Passover, and the Son of Man shall be 
delivered to them to be crucified ! ’’ 


DAY-BREAK VISIONS 


271 


IV 

DAY-BREAK VISIONS 

I T was on Tuesday, April 4th, in the year of Rome 
783 that Jesus bade farewell to the Temple. He 
did not return to Jerusalem the following day, but we 
like to think of Him as coming out of Bethany in the 
dawn of Thursday, the 6th of April, and climbing the 
hillside which leads to the summit of Mount Olivet. 
It was His favorite place of prayer. The mountains 
are God's footstool. They are like altars which 
nature raises to Heaven, from whence man's prayers 
may rise more easily to God. This is why Jesus often 
went up to the mountains to pray. On that morning. 
He not only went to pray, but He wished to contem- 
plate from the heights for the last time, the beauties 
of the great city He loved, which had not known 
Him, the magnificence of the earth He was to leave, 
the work of His hands and of which He was the in- 
terpreter for the Creator. From time to time. He 
stopped, turning to the east to watch the growing 
dawn. The sun at the horizon did but whiten the 
summit of the Mountain of Moab, but already its pale 
rays sharply outlined the peaks of the mountains and 
the depths of the ravines. This picturesque ■ and 
mountainous country offered Him a strange image of 
His people, who had known, one by one, the summits 
of glory and the abysses of defeat. How well it sym- 
bolized definite ruin, — this gathering of mountains, 
melting into the Dead Sea, while at the bottom of the 


272 


THE CENTURION 


deep valley, the Jordan wound like a silver ribbon on 
its way to extinction in the same abyss. 

Soon the brightening dawn was tinted with rose 
and orange shades. The sky unfolded its azure robe 
and bathed its edges in the blood of Moab. All the 
horizon blushed and then became inflamed, while the 
earth, awakened by fire, entoned the joyous song of 
life and heaven continued its eternal Hosannas in 
honor of the Divinity. 

The God-man continued His ascent and arrived be- 
fore long at the summit of the mountain. Far away 
to His left the morning light revealed to Him the 
walls of His native city and the fields of those shep- 
herds who had adored Him in His cradle. Before 
Him, all the Holy City, the City of Cities, displayed 
its castellated walls, its formidable bastions and its 
high towers; He was only separated from it by the 
deep canon of the Cedron joined to the sombre ravine 
of the Gehenna. On the summit of Mount Zion, He 
noted the towers of David’s palace, raising their heads 
above the cupola of his tomb. Nearer by, above the 
walls, the rays of dawn caressed the long porticoes of 
Solomon and reflected red against the white marble 
columns. Facade rose above fagade in the morning 
light and the dome of the Holy of Holies covered the 
vast edifice of the Temple like a crown of gold and 
precious stones. But all these beauties of the great 
city could give Him no joy; it was a sterile field, 
where, august Sower that He was. He had vainly 
thrown the divine seed. It had fallen upon rock and 
had not germinated. All about Him, less ungrateful 


DAY-BREAK VISIONS 


273 


nature celebrated His coming. Everything smiled in 
the springtime festival which brightened at the break 
of day. 

In the green fields, violets shed their perfume and 
cyclamen raised its red crests like flags of victory. 
Grain and wild flowers carpeted the earth and poured 
forth their fragrance at His feet as Magdalene had 
done. Great yellow tulips lifted their golden chalices 
wherein shone the tears of the night, as if to make 
Him forget the bitter chalice which wicked men pre- 
pared for Him. Asphodel, iris and anemone rivaled 
each other in brilliancy and beauty to worship Him. 
All the east displayed its magnificence to honor 
Him, — the trees, the plants, the flowers spoke a 
language to Him no other man had ever understood 
so well. 

On the eve of nature’s greatest grief, every being 
that composed it, smiled and sang as if each under- 
stood that the day of sorrow was to be that of the 
world’s salvation. Jesus heard and understood this 
universal praise of creation better even than the poets 
who have translated it into human language, better 
even than the Prophet King, though he had been its 
most perfect interpreter. For Jesus was the Word of 
all Creation; He was the great composer of all har- 
monies of Heaven and Earth. Figures, symbols and 
analogies which created relationship between the real 
and the spiritual, between Nature and the Supernatural 
had no secrets from Him. And if the wonders of 
our universe form a luminous ladder allowing the 
human mind to raise itself to God, what prodigious 


274 


THE CENTURION 


ascensions, then, must have been made by the intel- 
ligence of a man who was God ! 

To the poets, worshipers of the true God, nature 
is like a veil hiding the rays of a divinity whose bril- 
liancy our mortal eyes could not endure. It is the 
trellis of the Canticle of Canticles through which the 
human soul perceives its well-beloved. But to the eye 
of Jesus, the veil had a marvelous transparency and 
the trellis did not alter the splendor of the beatific 
vision. How beautiful was this dawn of His last day 
on earth. But the shadow of death already eclipsed 
its splendor. The evening of this perfect day would 
be as well the evening of His life. 

Doubtless at this moment Nature offered Him the 
worship of all her most beautiful productions in form, 
color, design, fragrance and life. The earth turned 
to Him only to draw Him to itself, giving Him this 
one last triumph before His burial. But a few hours, 
and He would no longer be seen. Like the sun, the 
work of His hands. He would disappear from off the 
horizon. 

The following day, toward noon, at the hour when 
heaven bathes the earth in warmest light, darkness 
would envelop Jerusalem and Jesus, Himself nailed 
to a cross on the summit of the hill visible just beyond 
the ‘‘ Gate of Justice would enter into the night men 
call eternal. For Him this night would be but an 
eclipse and would soon give place to the true dawn, 
the day that is without end. 

In their fleeting visions the Prophets had announced 
it, David has described it as a stream of light which 


DAY-BREAK VISIONS 


275 


would surround the earth, a soils ortu usque ad 
occasum.” But Jesus of Nazareth already saw it 
pointing across the dark night into which He was about 
to enter. He saw it growing and inundating with 
its light, not only the habitations of the living, but also 
the dwellings of the dead. In this Valley of Jehosa- 
phat, spreading out before his eyes, where man’s only 
labor lay in burying the dead, its light would penetrate 
to the bosom of humanity, endowing it with new life. 
From the abiding place of the dead, its rays would 
spring as far as the confines of the celestial horizon, 
opening at last the vision of God to the just detained 
in the mysterious prison of Limbo. 

This glorious to-morrow, out of the dreary to-day, 
this coming triumph of the great vanquished One was 
already present to the eyes of Jesus, and He could 
truly say to Himself, “ It is not I who am to die; it is 
the ancient world. It is Jerusalem, home of my 
fathers; it is Rome, the great prostitute which has 
perverted all the nations. Over there on the banks 
of the Tiber, I already see rising a throne for my 
apostle Peter who shall have become an immortal 
king. And on the highest hill of the great city, where 
flourished the worship of Juno, false mother of false 
gods, I see a temple rising, sumptuous and beautiful, in 
honor of my venerable Mother, the Mother of the true 
God. Everywhere, everywhere on all shores, in the 
midst of the ruins of great empires, even to the desert, 
I see the seed I have thrown upon the earth, germinat- 
ing and propagating with marvelous results. Every- 
where I see the rising of innumerable altars to my 


276 


THE CENTURION 


worship and the growth of a new civilization which 
shall bear my name. Behold, the true aurora which 
shall brighten all the centuries. 

‘"Oh, Jews, hasten; stretch me upon this Cross 
which to-day is the sign of ignominy and to-morrow 
shall be the standard of victory and power!’' 


V 

THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 

I T was the fifteen hundredth anniversary of the 
bloody night when the Lord descended upon 
the land of Egypt to put to death all the first-born of 
the Egyptians and when the Red Sea swallowed up 
Pharaoh and his army. It began as a festival and 
finished as a tragedy. The first scene was a double 
banquet and the last a condemnation to death! To 
the Eucharistic banquet, miracle of love, came the 
spectre of treachery, Judas. 

In all the history of humanity, there has been no 
night on which man was more worthy of hatred, nor 
where God has given greater proof of His love. 

God had become man ; He descended upon earth to 
teach all truth, to expiate all sin, to give the example of 
all virtue, to snatch man at last from the yoke of the 
demon and insure his eternal glory. He had proved 
His divinity in a thousand ways, had worked thou- 
sands of miracles which were so many deeds of benefi- 
cence. But all this had touched but a few 'obscure 
souls of the elect; the governors, the ruling classes. 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 277 

the priesthood, all the mass of humanity not only 
refused to recognize God in Jesus, but hated Him and 
made ready to kill Him. Jesus knew this; He had 
predicted His own death ; He awaited it and did noth- 
ing to avoid it. The chief priests were united in be- 
coming deicides. They awaited only Judas. For the 
salvation of humanity, Jesus could but shed His blood 
to the last drop. Everything, then, would be com- 
plete. Humanity would satiate its hatred, and God’s 
love would embrace even the death of the Cross. But 
everything was not finished; there still remained one 
miracle for Jesus, the greatest of His miracles of love, 
the most wonderful of His miracles of power! He 
wished to remain always with mankind. He wanted 
still more. He extended the love and power of God 
to its utmost. He decreed the nourishment of 
humanity with His body and blood, and for as long a 
time as humanity should live. And He realized this 
miracle of miracles in the institution of the Eucha- 
rist. 

The traitor Judas had the audacity to take part in 
this divine banquet, but from that moment he ceased to 
belong to himself, for the demon took possession of 
him. When he went out, under a pretext the falsity 
of which Jesus knew, to arrange with the chief priests 
for the arrest of his Master, there was a moment of 
silence and consternation. Then Jesus again spoke, 
and for the last time He poured out His heart to His 
apostles. They all shared His emotion and sadness. 
He announced that He would leave them, that they 
could not follow Him where He was going to prepare 


278 


THE CENTURION 


a place for them but that He would return and that 
later on they would follow Him. 

He gave them this new commandment, Love one 
another as I have loved you. It is by this love you 
will be known as my disciples.’^ Then He rose from 
the table, and said, Let us go.’’ 

The sacrilege of Judas had profaned the Cenacle, 
and its very atmosphere seemed charged with 
treachery. Followed by the eleven apostles who re- 
mained to Him, Jesus walked to the end of the hall, 
passed through the door on to the roof of the second 
floor which formed a terrace. The Paschal supper 
had taken place in an upper chamber. In the Orient, 
the great stone villas usually have an upper story nar- 
rower than the lower one, so that two terraces are 
formed, the first of which makes the roof of the second. 
It was on this spacious lower terrace surrounded by 
a balustrade that Jesus went to sit with His disciples. 
The air was pure and fresh. There was no other 
dwelling to shut out the horizon on this side of Mount 
Zion, its abrupt slope leading to the junction of the 
Gehenna and the valley of the Cedron. The full 
moon, already risen two hours, shed its limpid light 
over the entire landscape. The noises of the city be- 
came hushed as they reached this quiet corner, and 
Jesus, leaning His arm on the stone balcony enjoyed 
for a brief moment the calm and solitude. A heavy 
grape-vine climbed the wall of the villa, its green 
branches bending like a cradle over the corner of the 
terrace. 

‘‘ Behold, how luxuriant is this vine,” said Peter to 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 


279 


his silent Master, though the earth on this arid 
mountain is far from rich/' Jesus had been looking 
up at the moon whose brightness illumined His august 
countenance. He rested His eyes on Peter and said, 
‘‘ I am the true vine and you are the branches. My 
Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch which shall 
not bear fruit shall be cut off. You live in me and I 
in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit unless it re- 
main joined to the vine, neither will you bear fruit 
if you do not live in me." 

For a long time, Jesus conversed with these. His 
friends. Several times He commanded them to love 
one another. He predicted that they would be per- 
secuted and hated, as He Himself had been. ‘‘ You 
will mourn, but your sorrow shall be changed into 
joy." He announced the coming of His Spirit of Con- 
solation. He preached to them of firmness in faith 
and prayer and, addressing Himself to His Father, 
He prayed for them and for all in the centuries to 
come who should believe in Him. 

Sadness and discouragement descended more deeply 
upon the disciples, for they could not understand how 
or why their Master, so young, so powerful, so 
extraordinary, for whom they had abandoned all 
things and who had loved them so much, would now 
abandon them, leave them alone on earth without hav- 
ing established His kingdom. . . . Let us go," 

said Jesus, “ My hour has come." 

He turned to the steps of the terrace, and they all 
quitted the Cenacle, to meet later in the Garden of 
Gethsemane. It was ten o’clock, that is to say, the 


28 o 


THE CENTURION 


fourth hour of the night. Like a mysterious lamp hung 
from the celestial vault, the moon shed a flood of white 
light over the City of David. In the streets, tinted 
by the half glow of day, the towers and cupolas were 
drawn into distinct and precise shadows. Nothing is 
so beautiful as these calm Oriental nights, where 
everything sleeps in immutable serenity under the 
caressing gaze of myriad stars. Jesus walked at the 
head accompanied by John, while the other disciples fol- 
lowed Him. Wrapped in sadness, which the cowardly 
treachery of Judas had caused Him, the Master kept 
silence, and not one of His companions dared raise his 
voice. They felt a presentiment that a terrible night 
was about to begin. 

After several minutes’ walk, they turned into the 
street leading to the “ Gate of the South,” passing be- 
fore the palace of the high priests Annas and Caiphas. 
The atrium was brightly lighted, and several men 
spoke in low voices in the court where they were 
gathered together around a flaming brazier. It was 
there that Judas had gone after he left the Cenacle, 
and there he still remained, to make his final prepara- 
tions. 

Jesus sighed deeply as He hastened His steps, and 
soon He and His companions were outside the walls 
on the east slope of Mt. Zion. They followed the 
enclosure and turned north toward the Valley of 
Ophel. Here and there were leafy tents sheltering 
numerous pilgrims, who had come from all directions 
to assist at the Feast of the Passover. But these 
strange visitors must all have been asleep, for the only 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 


281 

noises heard were the bleatings of the sheep destined 
for the morrow’s sacrifice. Poor lambs! They too, 
foresaw the fate awaiting them. Their last day had 
come, and it was, alas, in vain that their blood would 
be shed. For hereafter the sacrifices of the ancient 
law would be inefficacious; and it was the blood of the 
true Lamb which should be spilt on the following day 
for the salvation of nations. 

Did the apostles understand this great mystery about 
to be accomplished and the ineffable sacrifice which 
was to replace the ancient ones? It is doubtful. 
Vague sounds reached them now from the Valley of 
Jehosaphat toward which they turned, and the slopes 
of Mt. Olivet appeared to them like a city of tents. 
These were still other pilgrim encampments. 

Jesus’ mind must have been fixed on the great feast 
of the morrow and the wonderful memories it evoked, 
for as they walked along. He reminded His disciples 
of the great events associated with the departure from 
Egypt. It had been fifteen centuries since this great 
historical event had taken place, it was just such a 
night as this, on the same day of the year, the four- 
teenth day of Nisan. The Israelites, their fathers, 
docile to Moses’ instructions, had immolated a lamb 
and eaten its flesh with unleavened bread. They had 
marked the doors of their Egyptian enemies with the 
blood of the lamb and Moses had said to them : ‘‘ It 
is the Passover,” which means ‘‘ Passage of the Lord.” 
And on this same night wherein the Lord had passed, 
there were put to death all the first-born of Egypt, 
and the Israelites, to the number of six hundred thou- 


282 


THE CENTURION 


sand had started on their march. On the following 
day, the 15th Nisan, they had crossed the Red Sea. 
It was in commemoration of this double passage that 
the institution of the Feast of the Passover, the 
Hebrew name, of which, “ Phase,’’ signifies passage, 
had been made. The evocation of these great events, 
the most memorable in the history of the Jewish 
people, moved the apostles deeply and increased their 
heaviness of spirit. It was doubtless a glorious an- 
niversary which commemorated the triumph of their 
fathers and the overthrow of their enemies. But with 
what sadness it had been announced to them! Was it 
not to be the antithesis of the days of Moses? And 
were not they themselves to be swallowed up in a 
Red Sea while their enemies should triumph? Alas, 
yes; it was indeed thus that events would pass for 
all who, not seeing the future, judged by appearances 
alone. But Jesus understood the reality of things. 
He saw them as if in the present and tried to explain 
them to His apostles. It was only too true that on the 
following day He Himself would be plunged into 
another Red Sea — a sea of blood — but He would 
cross it, nevertheless, and come out of it alive. While 
years later, the Red Sea would open again upon His 
enemies, and close down upon them, burying them with 
their Temple and their city in complete ruin, with no 
hope of resurrection. 

While speaking, Jesus watched the rising of the 
moon, majestic as a queen, white as a virgin. Now it 
crowned the crest of Mt. Olivet, brightening the tombs 
svhich bordered the torrents of the Cedron, finally 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 


283 


stopping far off above the two slopes of the Valley of 
Jehosaphat. There, under marble arches and in stone 
caves, slept the Fathers of Israel, the Judges, Kings 
and Prophets. There lay, pell mell, all the generations 
that for centuries had been the People of God. Alas ! 
how it had degenerated, this nation so pampered by 
Jehovah, which at different epochs had been so glorious 
and powerful. The divine effigy was no longer visible 
on these degenerated foreheads which Jesus had com- 
pared to whited sepulchres. Alas, alas ! The hour of 
the great sin was to strike, and this nation would fill 
the measure of its iniquity. It was about to accom- 
plish its separation from God and, at the same time, its 
final defeat. To dig more deeply the abyss where it 
should hide, it was about to put to death Him whom 
the heavens had sent to save it, after twenty centuries 
of expectation and promise. This sight darkened 
Jesus’ brow, but suddenly a fugitive ray of light 
touched and illuminated it, for the thought had come 
to Him that in this field of death, lying before His 
eyes, were the just whose tombs would be opened to- 
morrow. Yes, to-morrow, many of those who had 
slept for centuries beneath these sepulchres would hear 
His cry from the heights of the Cross and would rise 
up, living and glorious ! 

It was about half-past ten when the Master and His 
disciples reached the Garden of Gethsemane, filled with 
olive trees and barely closed by a wall of crumbling 
stones over which ill-kept vines were climbing. Per- 
haps it might have been part of that ancient Eden 
where sin had had its birth and where the great expia- 


284 


THE CENTURION 


tion and redemption would also commence, that 
where death had germinated, life might spring up. 
Its name signified The Press,’^ and was given with- 
out doubt to the machinery that had been placed there 
for pressing olives and extracting the oil. But in this 
terrible night, the Son of Man would replace the fruit 
of the olive tree, and under the press of pain would 
shed the first drops of His blood to wash the earth 
stained by the first sin. 

The moon pursued its way, tranquil and serene, 
above the Mount of Olives, and shed a whiteness like 
that of marble upon the great stones of the Temple’s 
wall which crowned Mt. Moriah facing Geth- 
semane. 

Jesus knew what was to come; He already saw it 
before Him, but the apostles, anxious and sad, were 
entering into the unknown. Vainly their Master had 
foretold them everything that would come to pass. 
It had seemed impossible to them by reason of its un- 
fathomable depths of sadness. Black presentiments 
overcame them, and they felt a mystery of sombre hor- 
ror descending upon them. 

But was not their Jesus all-powerful; He who had 
commanded the sea, driven out devils, opened the 
tombs, restored life to the dead — was He not Master 
of the world? Alas, in this terrible night, along with 
the strength of a God, one felt another force greater 
even than itself! Insoluble mystery! God Himself 
had become weakness ! How could the apostles un- 
derstand? How could the all-powerful become the 
powerless ? 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 


285 


Suddenly Jesus Himself was seized with terror. 
On this ocean of life which He had just crossed, He 
had been shipwrecked, and the current had thrown Him 
upon the sands, naked and abandoned. And behold, 
a great wave of blood comes upon Him and threatens 
to engulf Him. He sees it swelling, rising and spring- 
ing. He falls upon His knees, which bend beneath 
Him, and sends a great cry to Heaven, but Heaven re- 
mains deaf to His voice. What formidable visions 
then pass before His eyes ! What terrifying scenes do 
the multitude and horror of human iniquity show 
Him! What were the mental tortures which tri- 
umphed over His physical forces and led Him to the 
gafes of Death in an agony which would have made 
of Him a lifeless body, had not an angel come to 
give Him aid ? 

These questions are unanswerable and contain so 
many mysteries that the human tongue is incapable of 
describing them. This mysterious hour of agony is 
the first of the hours of the passion and was obviously 
the most terrible of them all. The next day Jesus 
was to endure the horrible pain of the scourging and 
the crucifixion, without betraying any weakness. 
From the height of the Cross, His blood would drain 
through all the parts of His body. In the face of death 
He would remain calm and patient, fully cognizant of 
all that happened about Him. He would hear the blas- 
phemies of His executioners and would ask forgive- 
ness for them; He would listen to the good thief and 
pardon Him. He would speak to His Father, His 
mother. His well-beloved disciple. Unto His last cry, 
19 


286 


THE CENTURION 


He would remain in full possession of Himself; He 
would keep the plenitude of His strength. But it is 
otherwise during the first hour of His passion, though 
He be in the fullness of health and has not lost one 
drop of blood. Nothing has happened to diminish 
His physical strength. His anguish is yet to come. 
Nevertheless, this Man who commanded the sea, sick- 
ness and death is seized all at once with an inexplicable 
weakness. In the apparent fullness of His strength. 
He is in an agony. He trembles. He falls with His face 
to the earth, and from every pore of His being surge 
billows of blood and water. What is this mystery of 
suffering which surpasses human strength that Jesus 
has assumed? Have the innumerable sins He is to 
expiate been driven like so many arrows into His 
tender flesh? No human answer can satisfy this ques- 
tioning. But it appears certain that the suffering of 
the agony was greater than that of either the scourging 
or the crucifixion. Why ? Perhaps because moral 
suffering is greater than physical, and it is in propor- 
tion to the perfection of the Being who suffers. Per- 
haps also because the executioners of the Pretorium 
and of Calvary were but men, while in Gethsemane 
the invisible executioner was God Himself, striking in 
the name of His implacable justice, and what He 
struck was the mountain of humanity’s sins rising 
menacingly before Him like an immense pyramid of 
hatred, whose base was large as the earth and whose 
summit reached to Heaven. 

One thing alone brought this agony to an end, the 
one thing which should have added to it, — the com- 


THE TERRIBLE NIGHT 


287 


ing of Judas. Jesus was still praying, when He heard 
the steps of a multitude approaching. He watched 
them coming with swords, clubs and lanterns. All 
this armament was quite useless, for He whom they 
came to arrest had no intention of hiding nor of de- 
fending Himself. He awakened His disciples and 
said to them, '' The hour has come ; he who betrays me 
is at hand.” 

In a few minutes. He had been taken and bound, 
and then he quietly followed the procession, which 
returned by the route along which it had come ; while 
the frightened apostles fled into the darkness. It was 
rnidnight. The rays of the full moon reaching the 
zenith had penetrated into the depths of the ravine 
where the Cedron emptied its thin stream of water. 
The porticoes of the Temple, shining in the moonlight, 
seemed to raise their colonnades to the summit of 
Mount Moriah. The Roman cohort formed an 
escort for the Prisoner, who had recovered His 
strength and ascended with firm steps the height of 
Zion which shortly before He had descended with His 
apostles. 

Hereafter, He was to be alone. For three years. 
His disciples had always accompanied Him. This was 
finished. The family was dispersed and its Head de- 
livered over to the malice of His enemies. It was 
shameful that these people feared a personal encounter 
with Him, who up to now, had been meek and humble 
of heart. The combat no longer had a reason for 
existence. The head of the new religion was now 
but the Lamb of God, voluntary victim, who in all 


288 


THE CENTURION 


resignation had decided to offer no resistance and 
patiently awaited His condemnation. 

When the band with its Captive arrived at the 
palace of the high-priest, the moon was hidden. Dark 
clouds rose from the Valley of the Jordan and veiled 
its brilliancy. A cold wind, impregnated with a slight 
odor of bitumen from the Dead Sea, blew about the 
Mount of Scandal and was smothered in the Valley of 
Jehosaphat on its course to the Cedron. Jerusalem 
slept. 


VI 

BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 

I T might have been one o’clock in the morning when 
Jesus appeared before the high-priest Annas, an 
old man of seventy years. For about a half a cen- 
tury the high priesthood had belonged to his family. 
Appointed under Herod the Great, whose sanguinary 
tyranny he had condoned, he had been deposed by 
Valerius Gratus, predecessor of Pontius Pilate. His 
sons had succeeded each other in turn, and it was 
now his son-in-law, Caiphas, who was invested with 
the supreme dignity of the priesthood. It was well 
known that this old man had always remained the 
ruling spirit of the synagogue and retained the pres- 
tige of authority, even though he no longer exercised 
its functions de jure. He was a wicked old man, 
ambitious and imperious, belonging to the sect of the 
Sadducees. His palace, in which he dwelt with 
Caiphas, rose above Mt. Zion, several steps from the 


BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 


289 


Cenacle. It formed three wings around a vast court. 
That of the centre was inhabited by Annas, the one 
at the right by his son-in-law, and the left one sheltered 
the servants of both families. The night was cold, 
and a great fire was lighted in the middle of the court. 
Around it were grouped the friends of Judas, the 
Roman soldiers and the curious, while Jesus was led 
into the apartments of the old pontiff surrounded by 
retainers and Levites. 

By what right did this high-priest, deposed four- 
teen years before, dare take upon himself the trial 
of the Galilean? And how dare he sit at night, when 
to do so was forbidden absolutely by Mosaic law? 
The old fanatic, actuated by his hatred, hoped, by 
forcing his victim to submit to a preliminary interro- 
gation, to obtain from Jesus’ own lips the proofs that 
would enable him to formulate the exceedingly indefi- 
nite accusations Caiphas and he proposed to make. 

As to the motives of his hatred, they were without 
end but might be summed up thus: the new religion 
preached by the young reformer would not only ruin 
the authority and standing of his family but would 
suppress his revenues. Had not this bold reformer 
recently driven from the Temple, as if it belonged to 
Him, the merchants who were carrying on their busi- 
ness there? Like all accused before a regular tri- 
bunal, Jesus had the right to be told the cause of His 
arrest and the nature of the accusation brought 
against Him. However, it was not in this way that 
the justice of Annas was to proceed; so, without tell- 
ing Jesus of what He was accused, he tried to obtain 


290 


THE CENTURION 


from Him an explanation of His doctrine and a bio- 
graphical sketch of His disciples. Knowing the 
object of this interrogatory, Jesus baffled the clever- 
ness of the astute old man by refusing to make any 
answer other than this,-- 

I preached openly by day. Question those who 
heard me.^’ And by this Jesus meant to say, It 
suits you to act by night and in secret, to plot and pay 
for treachery in the dark; but as for me, I speak and 
act in the light of day, in the presence of the world.’’ 

By refusing to answer, Jesus also signified to the 
ex-pontiff that he had no jurisdiction, since he no 
longer exercised the sovereign pontificate. The old 
fox understood all the significance of this lesson and 
appears to have dropped his role as judge of a court 
of inquiry. With culpable complaisance, he allowed 
one of his knaves to answer Jesus by striking Him 
and then had Him taken before Caiphas. Led by the 
guard, Jesus crossed the court through the crowd, 
which elbowed its way as close to Him as possible. 
On entering, He saw the high-priest seated on a plat- 
form, having with him more than thirty members of 
the Sanhedrim. He recognized among them several 
whom He had often met in the Temple. Without 
either haughtiness or fear, with a modesty full of dig- 
nity and an assured and quiet step. He advanced to 
the spot shown Him and waited. 

Doubtless informed of all that had passed before 
Annas, Caiphas and his colleagues intended to pro- 
ceed with more regularity. But the trial was badly 
managed and contrary to all rules of precedence. In 


BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 


291 


their blind hatred and harsh desire to do away with 
Christ before the festival, with this Man who disturbed 
their sleep, the secretaries had neglected all usual for- 
malities. Before this tribunal there was neither de- 
nunciation nor accusation. The prisoner had been 
suddenly arrested as being guilty of a flagrant crime, 
and, in spite of the law forbidding trials by night, 
these iniquitous judges began the examination without 
even learning the accusation brought against the 
prisoner and without informing Him of it. Instead 
of interrogating Jesus, as Annas had done, they called 
on witnesses — and, God ! What witnesses ! 

They were the dregs of liberated convicts, who but 
repeated badly learned lessons without coherency. 
In spite of their intentions and wish to please the 
priests, they could bring forward nothing of im- 
portance. At last came two who accused Jesus of 
wishing to destroy the Temple. One pretended that 
Jesus had said, '' I will destroy the Temple,” but the 
other affirmed that He only said, I can destroy the 
Temple.” This was evidence at variance, which em- 
barrassed the members of the tribunal. And as no 
other witness came forward to confirm one version or 
the other, Caiphas tried to obtain an admission from 
the accused. “ Dost thou not hear? ” he said, '' what 
they say against thee, and hast thou nothing to an- 
swer ? ” 

Jesus could have said, ‘‘Neither the one or the 
other of these testimonies is exact. I did not say 
‘ I will destroy nor I can destroy/ I said, speaking to 
my enemies, ‘ Destroy this temple, and in three days 


292 


THE CENTURION 


I will build it up/ '' It was a hypothesis, equivalent 
to saying, you destroy this temple I will rebuild it 
in three days/^ ‘‘ By this temple,’’ the victim could 
have answered, I wished to designate this body, 
which you are about to destroy and which I will re- 
build in three days.” But why make answer to those 
who did not wish to understand, these judges whose 
consciences He read like an open book ? He cast upon 
Caiphas a look, calm and resigned, but answered noth- 
ing. Exasperated and embarrassed, Caiphas no 
longer knew what to do. If the prisoner persisted in 
this silence, what proof could he find to bring against 
him? 

Suddenly a thought inspired by the spirit of malice 
flashed into his mind, providing a plan of action which 
would also be a dramatic stroke of great effect. It 
was to obtain from the victim Himself the acknowl- 
edgment of His pretended divinity. With a spon- 
taneous movement, he advanced close to the prisoner 
and, looking Him in the face, with his right hand 
raised to Heaven, said, 

I adjure thee, in the name of the living God, tell 
us if thou be Christ the Son of God.” The stroke was 
well aimed, and Jesus understood that it was His 
death-blow. No one knew better than He the text 
of the Mosaic law which declared that any man who 
proclaimed Himself God should be found deserving 
of death. He knew that in answering Caiphas, “ I 
am He,” Ele would pronounce His death sentence. 
But He could not nor ought He be silent. This ques- 


BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 


293 


tion could not remain without an answer. It was to 
speak this great Word that He had come into the 
world, and it was to submit to this death which it 
brought upon Him that He had assumed our humanity. 
Doubtless He knew that neither Caiphas nor His 
other judges would believe Flis word. But it was not 
to them He would speak; it was to all souls of good 
faith; it was to the people of centuries to come, to all 
the nations of the world. He did not hesitate for 
one minute; looking His judges in the face without 
either boasting or terror, in the solemn and serene 
tone suited to such divine words. He answered, I 
am He.’^ And the better to accentuate the meaning of 
His answer, so clear of itself. He appropriated the 
words which the Prophet Daniel applies to the Messiah 
by adding, You will see the Son of Man seated on the 
right hand of God the Father, descending on the 
clouds to judge the world.’' 

Horrified by this answer, Caiphas rent his garments 
and cried, *‘You have heard the horrible blasphemy! 
He deserves death.” 

It was the opinion of all present. But it was not 
enough to declare Him guilty and deserving of death. 
The power of inflicting capital punishment belonged 
to the Procurator alone, and besides, it was still the 
middle of the night. To give their condemnation an 
appearance of legality, it was necessary to have it 
pronounced again at a regular sitting of the Sanhe- 
drim during the day. While waiting and congratulat- 
ing himself on his success, Caiphas delivered the ac- 


294 


THE CENTURION 


cused over to the derision and outrages of the mob. 
Between his iniquity and the perfect innocence of 
Jesus; between his own ferocious hatred and the un- 
alterable sweetness of his Prisoner; between his base 
villainy and the noble attitude of the Accused there 
was such a contrast that he himself would have suf- 
fered had there been a more prolonged interview with 
his Victim. In order to punish and humiliate Jesus 
and to assert his own power over his Victim, Caiphas 
delivered Christ over as a plaything to the crowd of 
scoundrels who formed his body-guard. Until the 
morning, Jesus submitted to outrages and insults be- 
yond the power of words to describe. But Caiphas 
slept no more than did his Victim during this dread- 
ful night; he wished to hold a full session of the 
Sanhedrim at break of day, in order to make regular, 
if possible, his criminal proceeding, and so spent the 
rest of the night calling together the members of the 
High Tribunal who were scattered throughout the 
city. Formerly these general sessions of the San- 
hedrim, particularly in capital cases, had taken place 
in the rotunda of the Temple, but for three years they 
had not sat there, having power no longer to pronounce 
sentence of capital punishment. So at daybreak the 
Sanhedrites gathered at the house of Caiphas. Nico- 
demus, Joseph of Arimathea and Gamaliel the Elder 
did not assist at this reunion, not wishing to share in 
the crime about to be committed and knowing that 
neither their presence nor their protestations could 
prevent it. They had defended Jesus at earlier meet- 
ings when there was question of measures to put an 


BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 


295 

end to His preaching, as well as of betraying Him to 
justice. But they had had no success. 

It would, doubtless, have been more generous on 
their part to come and protest again by their words 
and votes against this iniquity, but their faith was 
still trembling in the balance, and their courage had 
not risen to the heights demanded by the circum- 
stances. 

Caiphas had been careful to tell all the Sanhe- 
drites who had not assisted at the night trial about the 
astute and solemn question which he had put to Jesus, 
and (according to him) the blasphemous answer he 
had received. He had told them how he and his col- 
leagues had already declared Jesus deserving of death. 
Recourse was made then to the same mode of pro- 
cedure. Caiphas called Jesus again before him and 
adjured Him in the name of the Living God to say 
if He were the Christ. 

Several hours before, Jesus had answered, I am 
He,” and not only had He not been believed, but they 
had said, “ It is a blasphemy which merits death.” 
Now it was this same blasphemy that Caiphas wanted 
Him to speak again. 

Full of calmness and serenity, Jesus answered, 

If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I 
question you, you will not answer, nor will you see 
me again, but hereafter (that is to say when you shall 
have put me to death) the Son of Man shall be seated 
at the right hand of the power of God.” 

Thou art, then, the Son of God ? ” repeated 
Caiphas. 


296 


THE CENTURION 


And Jesus answered, Thou hast said it; I am He.” 

The blasphemy which the Sanhedrites expected and 
wanted was repeated before them all, and they has- 
tened to pronounce a new condemnation. Up to 
this time everything had gone well and quickly, 
according to the will of the chief priests. However, 
it was necessary that this verdict be followed by sen- 
tence of death, which the Roman Procurator alone 
could pronounce; but there was reason to believe that 
Caesar’s representative might show himself refrac- 
tory. Jesus’ enemies foresaw an obstacle there and 
realized that they must display all their astuteness in 
order to triumph over it. Was it possible that Pilate, 
relying on the Book of Leviticus, would condemn 
Jesus to death because He called Himself the Son of 
God? No, because Leviticus had no authority over a 
pagan, and to all appearances Pilate would not hesi- 
tate to reject the Mosaic law. A matter of obliga- 
tion for the Jews, it was for the Romans but an 
historical document. It was necessary, therefore, be- 
fore Pilate, to produce another foundation for the 
accusation and transfer it if possible to political 
grounds. To obtain a verdict from the Sanhedrim, 
the charge must have religious grounds, because, if, 
instead of accusing Jesus of blasphemy, they de- 
nounced Him as a rebel, who dreamed of shaking off 
the yoke of Rome, many Sanhedrites doubtless would 
have said, “ So much the better ; let us allow Him to 
do it.” But, on the contrary, before the tribunal of 
the Procurator, this accusation stood every chance of 
being favorably received, and by following it up with 


THE END OF JUDAS 


297 


cleverness and energy, with threats and popular demon- 
strations, it ought to bring about the sentence of 
death. Then Jesus was brought before the Governor. 


VII 

THE END OF JUDAS 

T he night of April 7th, in the year of Rome, 783, 
was a terrible one, not only for Jesus, but also 
for Judas, his unfaithful disciple. The punishment 
of the guilty and the sacrifice of the innocent were to 
be accomplished on the same day, about the same 
hour. 

Judas was the type of a bad priest, and all apos- 
tates from the beginning of time have been more or 
less like him. He had all the great passions which 
cause the ruin of so many; ambition, love of money 
and perhaps luxury, though the gospels do not speak 
of this. In following Jesus, he had not obeyed the 
call of his conscience, but the suggestion of his ambi- 
tion and his thirst for riches. Like the greater 
number of Jews, he said to himself, “ If Jesus be 
the Messiah He will re-establish the kingdom of Israel 
and will give His disciples lucrative and honorable 
positions.” This is why he joined the first disciples, 
why he caused himself to be recommended by them 
to his Master and offered his services as treasurer of 
the community, that he might keep for himself the 
generous gifts made to Jesus by His friends. He is 


THE CENTURION 


298 

the model for those dishonest people who cleverly 
turn their employers’ money to their own profit. 

The other disciples had doubtless discovered some 
of his frauds, since the Evangelists have written that 
he was a thief. Jesus knew it all, and must often 
have reproached Judas for his evil ways, but did not 
dismiss him, v\^hich would have ruined his reputation 
and have removed every pretext for betrayal and de- 
sertion. However, the faithless apostle finally under- 
stood that his dream of fortune and greatness would 
never be realized, if his Master continued to avoid 
honors and riches. There was no longer occasion 
for self-deception. The Prophet had spoken clearly. 
His kingdom promised the disciples only poverty, 
humiliation, suffering and death. From that time, to 
the eyes of Judas, it was but a false kingdom his 
Master would give to visionaries. 

In the camp of the enemy, close to the rich and 
powerful priesthood, his future would be better as- 
sured. And this was Judas. He was neither a 
monster nor abnormal; he simply followed the per- 
verse instincts of human nature and the suggestions 
of the devil. A great number of men think and act 
as he in less serious affairs, and often without giving 
them a second thought. Little by little the spirit of 
evil entered more deeply into his soul and represented 
the betrayal of his Master to his enemies as an act 
of independence and deliverance. For three years he 
had served Him without profit. He had had enough 
of this miserable, wandering life, and it seemed fair to 
think of the future. 


THE END OF JUDAS 


299 


The chief priests would better recompense his serv- 
ices and doubtless later on give him a more lucrative 
situation. And besides,” again suggested the Spirit 
of Evil, “ Jesus, the great miracle-worker, will know 
how to escape the hands of the priests.” From that 
time forward his treachery seemed to him of little im- 
portance. 

But, once consummated, the crime, even in Judas’ 
eyes, took on enormous proportions. The devil 
showed him all its horror and villainy, and at last he 
understood that he was a monster of ingratitude and 
perversity. He had betrayed his Master, this Jesus, 
so good, so gentle, so merciful, who had so often for- 
given him his thefts and infidelities.. He had be- 
trayed and sold for thirty pieces of silver this won- 
derful Man, masterpiece of nature and of grace, 
miracle of love, of knowledge and of power, whose 
good deeds were without number. What infamy and 
shame! A violent despair took possession of his en- 
tire being, and all his projects, all his dreams, all his 
reasoning, gave place in his mind to the one idea of 
suicide. 

This money he had idolized, this price of his 
treachery burned his hands ; he bent under the weight 
of these thirty pieces of silver, that filled him with 
horror. He ran to Caiphas, where the Sanhedrim had 
just pronounced final sentence against Jesus. He 
entered the room where the principal Sanhedrites were 
still deliberating, and said to them, I have sinned 
in betraying innocent blood. I bring you back your 
silver.” They repelled with contempt this traitor 


300 


THE CENTURION 


whose usefulness had come to an end, and he left the 
hall, blaspheming. 

A company of soldiers and cowardly scoundrels of 
the high-priest led Jesus toward the palace of Pilate. 
He followed them and tried to approach his victim, 
to see His beautiful face for the last time, but the 
crowd pushed him roughly away. Then he ran to 
the Temple and cast the thirty pieces of silver, that 
weighed him down like the iron ball of a galley- 
slave, upon the floor, and without either stopping or 
turning, hastened down to the Cedron. As he passed 
near the Garden of Gethsemane, he met Peter coming 
out of it, who made a motion as if to throw himself 
upon Judas. But he did not have to defend himself, 
for Peter turned away into the little path which led to 
the Temple. 

Arrived at the tomb of Absalom, breathless with 
fatigue, with sorrow and with shame, Judas seated 
himself for an instant on the marble steps and sank 
into a reverie. Like him, the Son of David had be- 
trayed his father and his king and had plotted his 
death. But Jehovah had chastised him, and a short 
time afterward he was found hanging from the 
branches of a cedar on the banks of the Cedron. A 
shoot of this same tree was still there, and they called 
it the cedar of Absalom. Judas shuddered from head 
to foot ; the air was cold and the sun, barely risen, was 
hidden behind the Mt. of Olives. ‘‘ The Master is at 
this moment before Pilate,’' said Judas to himself, 

and perhaps the sentence of death is already pro- 
nounced against Him.” He rose and slowly climbed 


THE END OF JUDAS 


301 


the heights of Mt. Zion. Arrived at the edge of the 
precipice of Gehenna, he stopped and looked into the 
abyss. From the bottom had formerly risen the brass 
statue of Moloch to whom bloody victims and even 
human sacrifices had been offered. The statue had 
disappeared, but the abyss remained dark and seemed 
to invite suicide. For a moment the traitor was 
tempted to throw himself into it, but he drew back and, 
after climbing the hill, descended its southern side. 
He crossed the valley of Hinnom and stopped in a 
potter’s field, formerly a shady garden which he had 
dreamed of buying with the price of his treachery, to 
build himself a home there. From this spot a great 
sycamore raised its long branches to heaven. Judas 
seated himself at its foot, rested his head on his 
arms and forced himself to bring his thoughts to- 
gether. Childhood memories came in a tumult to 
his mind. Again he saw Kerioth, his native hamlet 
near Samaria, so peaceful and so green. Would it 
not be possible to return there, to forget everything 
and lead a hidden life? 

Alas, no; neither peace nor forgetfulness were any 
longer possible for him. Satan, who had taken pos- 
session of his soul, showed him anew all the mon- 
strosity of this crime which would be published 
throughout the world and make his name in history 
synonymous with apostate and traitor. Then he hesi- 
tated no longer, but rising quickly took his girdle and 
hung himself from one of the branches of the syca- 
more. 

At the moment when God the Son was. condemned 
20 


302 


THE CENTURION 


before the tribunal of Pilate, Judas appeared before 
the tribunal of God the Father. And then his cursed 
dream was realized. The potter’s field was bought 
with the traitor’s thirty pieces of silver, his last dwell- 
ing was dug at the foot of the sycamore that served 
him for a gibbet. 


VIII 

BEFORE PILATE 

P ILATE was a Roman knight and had the pride 
of his caste and the violence of his race. He 
felt no antipathy to Jesus, and the hatred of the Jews 
against the young prophet rather excited his sym- 
pathy. He detested the Jews and, had he believed it 
possible to obtain the approbation of Rome, would 
gladly have tyrannized over them. But on three oc- 
casions he had attempted to press Rome’s yoke heavier 
upon them and govern them with a rod of iron, and 
Rome had disapproved. This had made him not only 
more prudent, but weak and timorous. The popular 
uprisings of the Jews inspired him with terror, be- 
cause it was his duty to suppress them in such a way 
as not to merit rebuke from Caesar. In suppressing, 
them, he created malcontents, who hastened to Rome 
to denounce him and demand his recall. Aspirants 
to his post were not lacking there, and he knew, 
through practical experience, all the intrigues and 
manoeuvres at the service of ambition. In spite of 
his scorn for the Jews, he feared to irritate them be- 


BEFORE PILATE 


303 


cause he dreaded that they would inform against him. 

One of the larger rooms of the Tower of Antonia 
served as audience-chamber, and it was to this hall 
Jesus was brought before Pilate. There the Jews 
could not penetrate, for they considered it against the 
law to enter the house of a pagan. Jesus, led between 
two of the palace guards, appeared alone before the 
Governor, who was seated on a sort of throne sym- 
bolizing the Roman authority. 

Pilate had long heard of Jesus, but had never seen 
Him. He looked attentively at Him and was struck 
by the nobility, the distinction and the beauty of His 
countenance. Everything about Him breathed of 
dignity and a quiet conscience. Jesus cast upon the 
Governor a long, inquiring look; then dropped His 
eyes, as if in meditation. Before this victim, already 
loaded with chains, whose noble countenance mani- 
fested such superiority, Pilate was seized with pity. 
He rose and advanced under the portico, at the foot 
of which the Sanhedrites were grouped before the 
crowd. 

What accusation do you bring against this Man? 
he asked in a loud voice. 

Caiphas, speaking in the name of the Sanhedrites, 
answered scornfully, ‘‘ Were he not a malefactor, we 
should not have delivered Him over to you.’' Which 
meant, You do not need to inquire into this Man’s 
offence; we ourselves have judged Him guilty, and 
all we ask of you is to ratify the sentence and find Him 
deserving of capital punishment.” It was a singular 
belittling of the authority of the Governor, which 


3^4 


THE CENTURION 


would assign to him the role of executioner of high 
crimes rather than that of judge. 

This was not Pilate’s understanding of the adminis- 
tration of justice, for he was fully cognizant of the 
Roman rights ; he never pretended to condemn without 
inquiring into the offense and without hearing the 
cause of the victim. But if the Jews wished to pro- 
ceed otherwise, he would simply refuse them his min- 
istry. 

Assuming in turn a haughty tone, he said to them, 
Well, take Him away, judge Him, and put your own 
laws into execution.” 

This answer, by which Pilate relinquished the right 
to try Jesus, was at the same time ironical and clever; 
it baffled the homicidal plot of the Sanhedrites and 
saved Jesus from death. For, since the conquest, all 
that their law would permit was to have Jesus scourged 
for His pretended blasphemy. But what they had 
plotted and wished at all costs to obtain was His 
death, and the Governor alone could ratify and cause 
the execution of the capital sentence. 

Then Caiphas, insolently and without further de- 
ceit, unveiled the designs of the synagogue. “ Our 
laws ? You know well that we have no longer 
authority to sentence to death, and we wish this man 
to die.” 

Caiphas had said several days before, without 
suspecting the truth of his words, ‘‘ This man must 
die for the salvation of the people,” and all the San- 
hedrites knew that the death of the cross was the 
death inflicted by the Roman law. What strange 


BEFORE PILATE 


305 


blindness in these men who, understanding the 
prophecies, refused to see their accomplishment in 
Jesus, and themselves fulfilled these prophecies to the 
letter, without being aware of it. 

To obtain execution of the death-sentence, the San- 
hedrites understood that it was necessary to hold at 
least the pretense of a trial before the Roman Gov- 
ernor, since he did not appear disposed to pronounce 
sentence himself without having heard either accusers 
or accused. But what accusation had any chance of 
success? This was the question. To accuse Jesus 
of having proclaimed Himself Son of God would 
probably leave Pilate utterly indifferent, and he might 
say, ‘‘ What does it matter to me, or to Caesar ? ” 
In reality, this offense was the only one which 
affected the synagogue, because it threatened its au- 
thority. 

But the Sanhedrites were too astute, too clever to 
embarrass the Roman Governor with theological dis- 
sertations. It would have been an awkward compli- 
cation of the trial and might have exposed it to a 
check. To show themselves favorable to the repre- 
sentative of Rome, they must place the litigation on 
other grounds ; so they said to Pilate, “ This man ex- 
cites the people; He prevents the payment of tribute 
to Caesar and calls Himself the Christ-King.^’ 

In preferring this accusation, the Sanhedrites lied 
audaciously and assumed a hypocritical loyalty. But 
the Governor could not close his eyes to an accusa- 
tion of this nature. He was the chosen defender of 
the supremacy of Rome. To proclaim one’s self king 


3o6 


THE CENTURION 


was to revolt against Caesar and commit the crime of 
high treason. 

Doubtless the accusation was without foundation, 
for Jesus had never manifested any aspiration toward 
the political royalty of Israel. He had never dis- 
obeyed any part of the Roman law, never refused to 
pay tribute, never incited the people to shake off their 
yoke. He had never organized any political uprising, 
nor countenanced any plot against the authority of 
Caesar. But at last the direct and formal accusation 
was brought forward. If the Governor refused to 
take notice of it, he himself would be accused of treach- 
ery. 

He returned, then, into the hall of the Pretorium, 
and found himself alone with Jesus. On seeing Him, 
he said to himself. This man cannot seriously aspire 
to royalty, and if I myself question Him on this sub- 
ject, He will answer that the imputation is ridiculous. 
He is too intelligent and too honest to give any other 
answer, and then I shall set Him free. I shall not 
even ask if He expects to become a king, but if He be 
a king, and He cannot do otherwise than answer 
‘‘ No.^^ 

Outside, the hateful and turbulent mob, excited by 
the chief priests, shouted like madmen; the noise 
reached the audience-chamber, and to make himself 
better heard by Jesus, Pilate had Him draw closer. 
Then he questioned Him, asking, Art thou really the 
King of the Jews? 

The negative answer that the judge expected, did 
not come, for Jesus is really king and could not answer. 


BEFORE PILATE 


307 


‘‘ No.” In the temporal order, He was not the King 
of the Jews, but in the spiritual order. He is King of 
all nations. 

This is what Jesus wished to make His judge under- 
stand and why He explained to Pilate the nature of 
His royalty. 

“ My kingdom is not of this world; if it were of 
this world, my servants would fight that I might not be 
delivered to the Jews; but My kingdom is not of this 
world.” 

Did the Governor understand this speech and the 
real character of the kingdom of which Jesus spoke 
to him? Probably not. In any case, he wanted a 
more decisive answer, perhaps in the hope of obtain- 
ing this denial, which would have permitted him to 
release the victim. 

“ You are a king, then? ” he asked Him. 

And Jesus, who had explained in what His king- 
dom consisted, gave Pilate this answer, which would 
serve as a motive for the death-sentence. 

You have said it. I am king.” 

And the better to affirm the truth of this response 
and the reality of this new species of royalty that 
Pilate seemed to doubt, Jesus explained to him that 
He could not lie. 

I am born and I am come into the world to give 
testimony of the truth.” He then added, “ He who 
is of the truth hears my words and understands them,” 
which meant, If you do not understand me, Your 
Excellency, it is because you are not of the truth.” 
This surpassed Pilate’s understanding. 


3o8 


THE CENTURION 


“ The truth ! ’’ Who in all the world knew what 
it was? He Himself had sought it in the days of 
His youth and simple faith. He had studied it in the 
works of Greek and Roman philosophers. Learned 
professors had pretended to teach it to him, but his 
studies and his life's experience had led him into scep- 
ticism. On hearing these last words of Jesus, he 
shrugged his shoulders and with a bitter smile, asked. 
What is truth?" 

It was not a question that he proposed to his victim, 
because he was convinced that neither Christ nor any- 
one else could tell him in what truth consisted ; it was 
his own universal doubt which he expressed in this 
interrogative form. What his attitude and phrase 
said to Jesus, signified, You are an ignoramus, and 
if truth exist, no one knows what it is." 

The Governor rose and for several moments walked 
backwards and forwards with hands clasped behind 
him. He did not know what to do. He would like 
to have been able to save Jesus, but did not wish to 
create difficulties for himself by irritating the Jews. 
If he had had right ideas of justice and rectitude, he 
would have liberated the prisoner without thought of 
the consequences. But he cared above all for his own 
interests and ambitious dreams, and for no considera- 
tion whatever would he have risked loss of position 
or the compromising of his future. He sought differ- 
ent expedients for appeasing the crowd and, going 
out, said to the Jews, “ I find no fault with this just 
Man." 

This declaration was received with cries of rage. 


BEFORE PILATE 


309 

and the Sanhedrites drawn up at the foot of the por- 
tico protested and renewed their accusations. 

Then Pilate had Jesus brought out, and His pres- 
ence on the steps of the portico aroused a new explo- 
sion of fury. 

On all sides could be heard every species of accu- 
sation accompanied by abuse and insult. “ He is pos- 
sessed of the devil.’’ “ He is a malefactor, a trans- 
gressor of the law.” “ A despiser of the Mosaic 
dispensations and of the Sabbath.” A profaner of 
the Temple.” ‘‘A rebel against religious authority 
and Roman domination.” But nothing troubled the 
calm of Jesus. Serene and dignified, He looked upon 
this howling mob with the same eye that had 
formerly looked upon the angry sea of Tiberius. 
With one word. He could have calmed it, but He kept 
silence and let it rage. 

‘‘ Dost thou not hear,” said Pilate, “ of how many 
things they accuse thee ? ” 

Jesus remained silent. 

The Governor thought, “ A singular person in truth, 
who does not help me to save Him. When He should 
keep silence, He speaks and says precisely the things 
which serve for His condemnation. When He should 
speak and defend Himself, He keeps silence.” Pilate 
was puzzled. Suddenly one of the accusers de- 
nounced Jesus for having created an uprising among 
the people in Galilee. This name suggested a new ex- 
pedient. Jesus was a Galilean, and the offense im- 
puted to Him had been committed in Galilee. He 
could be sent before Herod, Tetrarch of Galilee. This 


310 


THE CENTURION 


prince lived, at that time, in the old home of the Macha- 
bees on Mt. Zion. Jesus was led there by legionaries 
under the Governor’s orders. Following the outer 
walls of the Temple on the west side and crossing the 
bridge which united Mt. Moriah to Mt. Zion above 
the Valley of the Tyropeon, the procession arrived in 
a few moments at the Palace of King Herod. 

It was the first time that Jesus had been Himself in 
presence of an earthly king. He who was King of 
kings. But the sovereigns of that day inspired no 
respect for royalty. These of the Orient were but 
kinglets and servile vassals of Tiberius, that master 
reviled by the world. The royal puppet of Galilee 
inspired in Jesus simply a sentiment of profound con- 
tempt, for He knew all his criminal life. 

On his part, Herod was curious to meet the Prophet 
who had been so much spoken of and was grateful to 
Pilate for having sent Jesus to him. The first time 
the report of the wonders performed by Christ had 
come to his ears, he had been seized with terror. It 
was in Persea shortly after the murder of John the 
Baptist, and his conscience was not yet dead to re- 
morse. He had imagined to himself that the new 
prophet was John risen again. 

He had communicated this fear to his courtiers. 
Some said, “ No, it is Elias come back to earth,” 
others, No, it is one of the ancient Prophets who 
lives again.” 

‘‘ It is John whom I decapitated,” insisted the king. 
“ He is risen from among the dead.” But he was 
reassured when several people affirmed that Jesus had 


BEFORE PILATE 


311 

begun to preach several months before the death of 
John. Nevertheless, he had always wished to see Him, 
and as Jesus declined his invitations, threatened to 
send Him away from Persea. The Prophet was giving 
His first mission there at that time, and the king lived 
at Machserus. He had sent several Pharisees to say 
to Jesus, “ Fly from here ! For King Herod wishes to 
put you to death,” but Jesus had answered them with a 
firmness touched with contempt, “ Go say to that fox, 
that I will drive out devils and will cure the sick to- 
day and to-morrow, and that I will finish on the third 
day.” And to affirm at the same time His knowledge 
of the future and His firm determination to finish 
His work completely, He had added, It is not fitting 
for a Prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.” It 
was a defiance of Herod’s power and meant, ‘‘ You 
have no power over me, and I will continue to spread 
'my beneficences among your subjects without heeding 
your threats. Whatever you may do, I shall fulfill 
my mission, and it is not in your kingdom that it will 
be permitted to put me to death, but in Jerusalem. For 
it is ‘ Jerusalem that kills the prophets.’ ” 

Therefore, when Jesus appeared before Herod in 
Jerusalem, He had nothing more to say to this fox, 
instrument of a wolf’s cruelty. His mission was ac- 
complished; His hour had come, and He had volun- 
tarily submitted Himself to the powers of darkness. 

His attitude before the King of Galilee was that of 
a victim retaining His nobility and His dignity, but 
resigned to undergo all humiliations and every defama- 
tion without opening His lips. 


312 


THE CENTURION 


The prince was flattered by this mark of deference 
shown him by the Roman Governor, and he also ex- 
pected that the Prophet would accomplish some mira- 
cle before him, were it only to curry favor or escape 
justice. So at first he appeared to be full of consid- 
eration for his prisoner, and after having put several 
questions to Him which Jesus did not answer, asked 
Him, as a favor, to give some manifestation of super- 
natural power. 

Jesus did not appear to hear him. Herod insisted, 
begged, threatened Him. Jesus remained silent, but 
His piercing look, which penetrated into the con- 
science of Herod, seemed to say, ‘‘ Oh, King, if I 
opened my mouth, it would be to express to thee all 
the contempt which thou inspirest in me; it would be 
to reproach thee as John the Baptist did for thy adul- 
terous life and orgies. It would be to curse thee in 
the name of all those victims whom thou hast assas- 
sinated; in the name of my precursor whom thou didst 
shamefully put to death to please a dancing woman. 
It would be to predict to thee that soon the hand of 
Jehovah will grow heavy upon thee; that thou shalt 
lose thy crown, thy throne and thy palaces; that thou 
shalt be exiled into Gaul ; that the adulterous Herodias 
shall be decapitated there with a piece of ice which 
will recall the alabaster urn that held the head of my 
Precursor. If I were man only, I could not contain 
myself in thy presence, but I am the Word, and the 
Word must know how to keep silent to teach men 
patience.’^ 

The Sanhedrites profited by this obstinate silence 


BEFORE PILATE 


313 


of Jesus to renew all their accusations against Him. 
They hoped that before Herod, who was Jewish by 
birth, they could more easily obtain condemnation of 
Christ for what they called His blasphemies and scorn 
of the Mosaic Law. 

But Herod no longer believed in the Mosaic pre- 
cepts and did not trouble himself even to put them 
aside. These accusations left him quite indifferent. 
The persistent silence of Jesus alone offended him. 
Humiliated and wounded, he thought to take revenge 
by ridicule, and so, making fun of the pretended 
royalty of Jesus, had Him dressed again in a purple 
garment and sent Him back to Pilate. 

During all this time, Pilate had been thinking, and 
his apprehensions grew. He watched the crowd and 
collected all the reports brought him by his secret 
agents. The anger of the people assumed alarming 
proportions, and he did not see how he could appease 
this popular movement created by the Sanhedrites, un- 
less he acceded to their demands. 

In his terror he already heard the roars of the rev- 
olutionists; he already saw his legionaries massacring 
the revolters, blood flowing in streams on the pave- 
ment of the Temple; he saw himself denounced at 
Rome, accused, blamed, dismissed, exiled. 

His wife, Claudia, had had a sleepless night. Only 
toward morning had she slept, when a terrible dream 
came to trouble her. Jesus appeared all bleeding, be- 
fore the tribunal where her husband sat; the blood 
which flowed from His veins flowed even upon Pilate 
himself, dyeing his garments. The Governor had a 


314 


THE CENTURION 


vase of water brought him and washed his hands, but 
then the water turned into blood and dyed his arms 
and all his body. 

This vision had awakened her with a start, and she 
had not been able to sleep again. She had told her 
dream to her sister, and they both decided to repeat 
it to the Governor, but when Claudia went into her 
husband’s rooms, he had already betaken himself to 
the tribunal. 

Crowds filled the court and the stairways of the 
Pretorium, and as it was impossible for her to reach 
Pilate, she sent this message : 

“ Have thou nothing to do with that just Man; for 
I have suffered many things this day in a dream be- 
cause of Him.” 

When this message was given Pilate, he sought for 
means to release Jesus. 

A few minutes before, he had attempted to convince 
the chief priests and the elders that he found no 
crime in Jesus, and that Herod must have been of the 
same opinion, since he had sent away the victim with- 
out pronouncing any word of condemnation. But his 
words had raised such an uproar among the San- 
hedrites that, to satisfy them and perhaps excite their 
pity, he thought it better to sentence the prisoner to a 
scourging. He then proclaimed that he would have 
Him chastised and liberated, and while Jesus was 
being led into an interior court of the palace to be 
scourged, Pilate thought of another expedient. 

It was the custom and it was his right, on the day 
of the Passover, to release one criminal to be chosen 


BEFORE PILATE 


315 


by the Jews. To exercise this right of pardon, he 
gave them the choice between Jesus, whom neither 
he nor Herod had found guilty, and a notorious rob- 
ber and assassin named Barabbas, who was in prison. 

Convinced that the choice of Jesus was obligatory, 
and that the Jews would never dare to name Barab- 
bas, Pilate asked them “ Whom will you that I release 
to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? ’’ 

Oh, horror! The unanimous cry of the Jews re- 
sounded, — 

Barabbas I Barabbas ! ” 

Pilate hardly believing his ears answered, — 

What, then, shall I do with Him whom you call 
King of the Jews? ’’ 

^‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’^ vociferated the 
crowd. 

“ But what evil has He done? objected the judge 
pleading for the accused. “ I find no cause for death 
in Him.’’ 

‘‘ Crucify Him, crucify Him,” the multitude con- 
tinued to shout. 

Instead of simply administering justice, the Judge 
had tried to be politic and had had recourse to the 
expedients which policy suggested. Universal suf- 
frage had answered by imposing upon him an act of 
injustice. As a result of his culpable indecision, Pi- 
late was no longer either Governor or magistrate. He 
no longer represented the majesty of the law and of 
justice. He had become a tool in the hands of the 
multitude. To conceal his weakness from the eyes 
of the people, he performed an act which, according 


3i6 


THE CENTURION 


to a custom in Israel, might be considered a protest 
against the popular verdict. 

He had his servants bring water, and he washed 
his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying, I am 
innocent of the blood of this just Man. Look you to 
iU’ 

The people cried, ‘‘Let His blood be upon us and 
upon our children.” 

Barabbas was set free. 

The scourging completed, Jesus was again brought 
before Pilate, whose conscience was still troubled and 
who continued to seek other means to appease the Jews. 

The tortures had horribly disfigured their victim. 
He was truly an object of pity. Covered with blood, 
spittle and dirt. His head dishevelled, bloody, crowned 
with thorns. His face disfigured with the blood which 
had trickled through His hair, His shoulders covered 
with a red mantle all in tatters. His hands crossed and 
chained, — thus appeared the Son of Man to Whom 
humanity had given birth only after forty centuries of 
waiting, this Son of God, in Whom the Father rested 
all His hopes ! 

Pilate was touched and, believing that the people 
would also be moved to pity at seeing Him in this 
state, caused Jesus to be brought forward to the highest 
step of the portico and, showing Him to the Jews, 
said, 

“ Behold the Man ! I bring Him to you that you 
may know I find no crime in Him.” 

But the cries of hatred were renewed, — “ Crucify 
Him! Crucify Him!” 


BEFORE PILATE 


317 

Then,” returned Pilate, “ take Him yourselves and 
crucify Him. As for me, I find no fault in Him.” 

But the Sanhedrites knew well they had no right to 
crucify Jesus without a sentence from the Governor, 
and when they saw that he persisted in refusing it, 
despite their formal declaration that the accused had 
declared Himself King of the Jews and had thus re- 
belled against Rome, they came back to their first ac- 
cusation of blasphemy. 

‘‘ We have a law,” they told him, “ and according 
to our law. He must die because. He made Himself 
out to be the Son of God.” 

This evocation of the Jewish law increased Pilate’s 
trepidation, for he remembered the instructions often 
received from Rome. Several times before he had 
despised this law and given orders contradicting it and 
had been blamed and reprimanded. It was with great 
trouble that he had prevented his recall. And now 
again a conflict with the Mosaic law was threatened. 
If Jesus really called Himself the Son of God, could 
he himself prevent the law from taking its course, 
thereby exposing himself again to Roman denuncia- 
tion? 

Pilate had Jesus brought in again, and said to 
Him,- 

‘‘ From whence art thou ? ” 

He doubtless hoped that Jesus would reveal to him 
a purely human origin and would repudiate all pre- 
tension to divine sonship. 

But Jesus could not lie; and as Pilate had no juris- 
diction in religious matters (as he was not competent 
21 


THE CENTURION 


318 

to judge whether, according to the prophecies and 
events accomplished, Jesus should be accepted and 
recognized as the Messiah), He did not think it His 
duty to answer Pilate’s question. At the house of 
Caiphas, before the Sanhedrim, He would have liked 
to open the question of His divine origin, because this 
tribunal was competent to pronounce sentence on this 
question. Not only was it competent, but it was its 
duty to examine His titles to the Messiahship and 
make them known to the people. 

That was why Jesus had not hesitated to proclaim 
energetically before Caiphas in the Sanhedrim that 
He was the Son of God. But He could not submit 
His claim to divinity before the tribunal of Pilate, 
because this would have been to recognize a jurisdic- 
tion with which this tribunal was not vested. He 
answered nothing, therefore, to the Governor’s ques- 
tion. 

‘‘ Dost thou not speak to me ? ” asked Pilate in a 
vexed tone. ‘‘ Dost thou not know I have power to 
crucify thee and power to release thee? ” 

“ Thou wouldst not have any power over me,” an- 
swered Jesus, “if it were not given thee from on 
high.” Which was equivalent to saying to him, 
“ This power, which thou dost boast and which thou 
appearest to hold from Rome and which thou dost 
fear so much to lose, does not come to thee from 
Rome it comes to thee from my Father, and it is to 
Him thou shalt be obliged to render account.” 

Did Pilate understand this speech? Perhaps so. 
But the fear of the Jews, who redoubled their fero- 


CLAUDIA AND CAMILLA 


319 


cious yells, greatly disturbed him and he saw no escape 
from the perilous situation. He came out a third time 
with his prisoner; but now the Sanhedrites cried,* 

If thou dost release Him thou art no friend of 
Caesar’s."’ 

“ Friend of Caesar” was a high imperial dignity to 
which Pilate aspired, as did all the ambitious of Rome. 
He was terrified by this new threat. He tried, how- 
ever, to make his voice heard and said to the Jews, - » 
Behold your King ! ” 

‘‘He must die! He must die! Crucify Him!” 
shrieked the crowd. 

“ Shall I crucify your King? ” he said again. 

The Sanhedrites answered with one voice, “ We 
have no king but Caesar.” 

He trembled at the mention of this terrible name. 
He deliberated a few moments and said to himself, 
“ Nicodemus was right; this strange Man is tired of 
life. He wishes to die. Well, then, let Him die.” 
And he pronounced sentence of death against Jesus, 
giving as motive that He had proclaimed Himself 
“ King of the Jews.” 


IX 

CLAUDIA AND CAMILLA 

O N returning to his apartments, after having de- 
livered Jesus to the executioners, Pilate found 
himself in the presence of Claudia and Camilla, whose 
faces betrayed anxiety and agony. 


320 


THE CENTURION 


‘^Well?’’ asked Claudia. 

It is finished,” he answered with a weary sigh. 

‘‘And you have condemned Him? ” 

“ I did all in my power to save Him, but He Him- 
self wished to die.” 

“ How is that? Explain yourself.” 

“ It happened in this way ; the Sanhedrites accused 
Christ of high treason, saying that He proclaimed 
Himself King of the Jews. Then I myself ques- 
tioned Him, and He answered me with inexplicable 
candor that He was, in effect. King of the Jews. 
What could I do then? To reject the accusation after 
this acknowledgment was to expose myself to a 
charge of treachery to Caesar. In spite of that, I 
sought means to escape, to save Him at least from 
death. I even compared Him with Barabbas, in order 
to deliver Him. The Jews forced me to deliver Ba- 
rabbas, a scoundrel ! I had Jesus scourged in the hope 
of softening them; but the Sanhedrites remained im- 
placable, insensible to the horrible scene of the flagel- 
lation, while all the people demanded His death with 
loud cries. I had to give way to violence and threats ; 
but it is the fault of the accused as well as of the Jews. 
What need was there for Him to acknowledge His 
pretensions to the Kingdom of Juda, which moreover 
are absurd ? ” 

“ It is very strange. But did He not explain what 
His kingdom is ? ” 

“ Yes, He pretends that His kingdom is not of this 
world.” 

“ Well, then, how do His pretensions cause you or 


CLAUDIA AND CAMILLA 


321 

Caesar any anxiety, if it be not in this world that the 
gentle Prophet expects to reign? ’’ 

My dear Claudia, I know of no other world than 
this, and if Jesus be a dreamer, so much the worse 
for Him if His dreams be dangerous. 

And you have delivered Him over to the Jews? 
Ah, Pontius — ' 

‘‘ It was necessary to put an end to it all. 
And now leave me in peace. The strange look of 
this man stirs me more profoundly than all your 
words could do. I must forget it and do not wish 
it mentioned in my presence. In a few hours He 
will be dead. Everything will be over, and I will 
fly from this accursed city I abhor and go into 
Caesarea, where I may perhaps find a little calm and 
repose.’^ 

Cains entered. 

‘‘ Governor,’’ he said, ‘‘ the Sanhedrites demand in- 
stant execution of the sentence because to-morrow is 
the Sabbath. What must be done ? ” 

“ It is well, the sooner the better.” 

“ O, my dear one,” spoke up Claudia, ‘‘ put off this 
sentence until later. Perhaps time will give you some 
means to prevent the death of this just Man.” 

No. The uproar will break out anew, and this 
struggle overwhelms me. Its only definite solution is 
death. Death alone gives peace to Him who is dead 
as well as to those who have killed Him. 

Go, Caius. Expedi crucenij and see that the 
thing is done quickly. You will inscribe on the Cross 
the name of the condemned and the title which was the 


322 


THE CENTURION 


motive for His condemnation, ‘ King of the Jews,’ in 
the three languages, Latin, Greek and Hebrew.” 

The two women left the room in tears, followed 
by Caius. Pilate threw himself upon a divan and 
tried to rest, but in vain he closed his eyes. Out of 
the shadow, were two burning flames fixed upon him. 
They were the eyes of Jesus. For a long time he lay 
in anxiety upon his couch. Suddenly, several leaders 
of the Sanhedrim called to him from the portico. He 
rose with a start, and said to them in furious tones. 
What more do you want of me ? ” 

The Centurion has had written on the Cross, ‘ Je- 
sus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,’ and we come to 
ask you to have this inscription replaced by the words, 

‘ who called Himself king of the Jews ! ’ ” 

‘‘Leave me in peace; what is written is written,” 
answered Pilate and turned his back upon them. 

X 

THE TWO SENTENCES FROM A JUDICIAL POINT 
OF VIEW 

I T is humiliating for human justice to acknowledge 
that the greatest mistake of which judicial annals 
make mention was committed by both ecclesiastical 
and civil tribunals, by the representatives of authority 
and by the people, by judges and juries. 

There is so much uncertainty and chance in the de- 
crees of human justice that to fall into its hands is one 
of the greatest trials of man’s life. That is why Jesus 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


323 


wished to submit to this as well as to every other hu- 
miliation. But what a lamentable mistake on the part 
of justice! We have seen how it seized the person 
of Jesus by calling into use the treachery of one of His 
disciples; how it led Him by night, without previous 
denunciation, before a High Priest who no longer had 
jurisdiction and how He was summarily condemned 
by the Sanhedrim and by Pilate ! 

Let us weigh the value of these two decisions from 
the judicial point of view. We shall not dwell upon 
the errors of form nor the irregularities of the trial. 
The night session at the house of Caiphas was a grave 
illegality. The law was that the tribunal should sit 
by day in order that the public might assist and even 
take part in it, for in the criminal assizes of the Jews 
the people had a share. Nor did the people assist in 
silence, they expressed their opinion loudly, boldly and 
more tumultuously than a jury. 

Again, according to the law, one day should have 
intervened between the examination of the case and 
the sentence. The Sanhedrim put aside this prescrip- 
tion of the law, in the same manner that it set aside 
the most elementary principles of justice, by allowing 
the people to insult and abuse the accused before His 
condemnation. 

It was also illegal to sit and judge on the eve of 
the Sabbath and the day of the Passover. The San- 
hedrim despised this prohibition by sitting on the day 
of the great festival itself. The majority of the mem- 
bers of the Sanhedrim had openly given expression 


3^4 


THE CENTURION 


to opinions against Jesus, for a long time before the 
trial. His death had been implicitly decreed. From 
that time forth they were no longer impartial judges, 
they made it their business to find witnesses against 
Him. 

In the preceding September, during the Feast of 
Tabernacles; in the month of February after the res- 
urrection of Lazarus, and, finally, on the eve of the 
arrest of Jesus, they had met and agreed to this de- 
cisive judgment of Caiphas, “This man must die for 
the people, and in order that the nation may not 
perish.” 

This condemnation pronounced in advance by those 
who later on were to judge Jesus, is one of the mon- 
strosities of this trial. But it is the foundation of this 
trial which interests us above all, and of which we 
wish to have an intelligent appreciation. It is neither 
necessary to be a lawyer nor a magistrate in order to 
understand that legality and justice are far from being 
synonymous. A condemnation may be strictly legal 
and at the same time sanction an injustice. It is evi- 
dent that Jesus, being God, was above human laws, 
and that the sentence of death pronounced against 
Him was necessarily unjust because He could not have 
committed any crime. 

But can one maintain that this sentence was legal? 
In other words, did the Sanhedrim and Pilate, in pro- 
nouncing it, apply only the laws then in existence? 
If the answer to this question be in the affirmative, it 
is a terrible blow to the law. But we believe that the 
judges of Christ made an erroneous application of the 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


325 


existing laws, in the case of the august Prisoner 
brought before them, and that the pretended lawful- 
ness of their decree was but a mask for their injustice. 

Let us first study the judgment of the Sanhedrim. 

The crime for which it condemned Jesus was that 
He declared Himself the Messiah, the Son of God; 
for were this solemn affirmation of the accused false, 
it was blasphemy. 

So this was precisely the question to be decided, and 
the Sanhedrim had not even examined it. The entire 
case lay in this point. Jesus had proclaimed Him- 
self Son of God. If He were not, He had assuredly 
blasphemed and deserved death according to the Jew- 
ish Law. But if He were, the Sanhedrim should fall 
upon its knees and adore Him. It was the duty of 
this High Tribunal, composed of pontiffs, priests. 
Scribes, and doctors in Israel, who expected the coming 
of the Messiah, to examine and study the rights to 
divine sonship which Jesus appeared to have. In not 
doing so they were guilty of injustice. 

If anyone be accused of perjury before a compe- 
tent tribunal and answer the accusation by saying, 
I have affirmed under oath the fact brought forth 
in the accusation, and I affirm it again because it is 
true,” what would be the duty of the tribunal? Ob- 
viously, it should say to the accusers, “ Now prove this 
fact false.” It is the only question which bears on 
the examination, for if the fact affirmed be true, there 
can be no perjury. It remains for you therefore, ac- 
cusers, to prove it false. 

Had the tribunal, instead of acting in this way, said 


326 


THE CENTURION 


to the condemned, “ You admit having sworn to such 
a fact, therefore you are a perjurer and I condemn 
you,’' it would have been a perversion of justice as 
well as a crime. It was, therefore, the duty of the 
Sanhedrim to say to Jesus,- • 

“You pretend to be the Messiah, the Son of God! 
Well, let us examine your rights and your proofs. 
What is your origin? What points of resemblance 
are there between you and the promised Messiah? 
Show us that the prophecies have been accomplished, 
that the time fixed for the coming of the Messiah has 
arrived, that you have realized in your life and in your 
works the signs and characters by which we are to 
recognize Him ! ” 

Nothing would have been easier for Jesus than to 
have answered this presentment of His case. All the 
judges were more or less versed in the Scriptures. 
They were all conversant with the prophecies relating 
to the Messiah, for it had been the principal object of 
their studies, their supreme hope, the fundamental 
dogma of their belief for centuries. They were all, 
then, in a proper frame of mind to understand and 
appreciate the triumphal demonstration Jesus was able 
to make of His Messianic title and divine origin. 
They themselves were the depositaries of the promise 
of a Messiah. They believed in Him, they expected 
Him. They knew the history of the personages who 
had prefigured Him in the past, the characteristic 
traits by which the Prophets had pictured Him, the 
political events which were to precede His coming. 
In a word, as an historian has said, “ they had His 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


327 


description.” If then they had wished to study the 
case brought before them, as was their duty, they 
were the most competent judges in Israel to pronounce 
on this question as to whether Jesus were the Mes- 
siah or they were to await another. And had they 
interrogated Him in good faith, nothing would have 
been easier for Jesus than to have enlightened them 
and proved the accomplishment of the prophecies, the 
uniting of Messianic signs in His own person and the 
divine character of His life and miracles. 

But it was not in this manner that the Sanhedrim 
proceeded. Scarcely had Jesus, solemnly questioned 
by Caiphas, pronounced these words, ‘‘ I am the Mes- 
siah, Son of God,” than the Sanhedrim declared that 
it wished to hear no more. He was a blasphemer and 
deserved death. Not one of the Sanhedrites dared 
interrogate his own conscience, which, however, must 
have cried out to him, ‘‘If the speech of Jesus be true, 
there is no blasphemy, and hence we could only con- 
demn Him after certain proof that His word is false. 
Let us inquire strictly into His genealogy, into the 
circumstances of His birth. His life. His works, and 
let us see if there be not in Him some of the Messianic 
signs predicted by the prophets.” And if the Sanhe- 
drites were of opinion that Jesus should furnish them 
this proof, they should at least have asked it of Him. 

In a word, when He had solemnly affirmed in the 
name of the Living God that He was the Messiah, 
they were at least bound, before declaring Him de- 
serving of death, to put Him in a position to prove His 
title. 


328 


THE CENTURION 


When John the Baptist had wished to know more 
certainly if Jesus were the Messiah, out of the depths 
of his prison he sent messengers to ask Him this ques- 
tion : ‘‘ Art thou He who is to come, or look we for 

another?'’ And Jesus answered, ‘‘Go, tell John 
what you have heard and seen ; the blind see, the lame 
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead 
are restored to life, the poor have the gospel preached 
to them." John was convinced; he asked no other 
proofs. These same proofs and many others could as 
easily have been produced before the Sanhedrim. 

And had these judges, prompted by good faith, 
not been convinced by His works, they would have 
had but to question Jesus as to His divine sonship, 
and He could have explained it to them in language 
that would have fully convinced them. 

But it was not the truth the Sanhedrim sought, 
nor was it justice which preoccupied it. For to these 
priests, these hateful and jealous scribes, Jesus was 
but the enemy of their authority, of their prestige, 
their fortune and their future! He must at all price 
be put away. That is why the verdict was so quickly 
given after a pretended trial and with no inquiry into 
the truth of Jesus' words. 

The Sanhedrim “conjectured" their falsity, and 
without inquiry, judged that what Jesus said “ could 
not be true " and that in consequence it was blasphe- 
mous. It was a perversion of justice, a taking part in 
an injustice. 

To judge of the Sanhedrim's decree, one must not 
lose sight of the fact that Messianism was the funda- 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


3^9 


mental dogma of Judaism; that the Jewish people had 
expected a Messiah for many centuries and that it 
was the great desideratum of its national life. No 
other nation, whether ancient or modern, had ever 
been found in such a situation, and from that time 
forth, a trial such as that of Jesus, before the Sanhe- 
drim, became impossible in any other country. 

Suppose that to-day one were to bring before our 
modern tribunals a man accused of calling Himself the 
Messiah, Son of God; what would the judges do? 
They would say, “ He is a poor, insane creature suf- 
fering from hallucinations.” If he were harmless, 
they would let him go; if he created disorder, they 
would send him to an asylum for the demented. No 
judge would ever dream of putting him to death; 
neither would any judge deem it his place to make in- 
quiries as to whether or no he might be the Messiah, 
Son of God, because to-day no nation on earth expects 
the coming of a Messiah nor believes in a man-God of 
the future. 

But it was otherwise with the Jewish people at the 
Messianic epoch. The Sanhedrites had before them 
an extraordinary Man, Who, for three years had ac- 
complished all manner of miracles and Who had said 
to the multitude, “ I am the Messiah whom you ex- 
pect. God is my Father, and it is He who sends me, 
and if you do not believe my word, believe my 
works.” 

What judgment should they pass on this Man ac- 
cused of blasphemy, they who believed in a Messiah 
and who expected Him, they who were the constituted 


330 


THE CENTURION 


authority for the deciding of the Messianic question? 
Their duty was to examine thoroughly the life of this 
Man and to explain how, being simply an impostor, 
He could have worked so many miracles. In their 
character as ecclesiastical judges, doctors in Israel, 
versed in the Scriptures, it was their mission to in- 
struct the people on the coming of the Messiah and to 
tell them when He should appear. It was not only 
a civil and religious duty; it was also a duty of patriot- 
ism, because the failure of the nation to recognize the 
Messiah would be the greatest misfortune and the 
greatest crime. 

But the Sanhedrim had cast aside this triple duty 
and would bear forever in the sight of history, a ter- 
rible responsibility. 

Let us now examine the judgment of Pilate, Roman 
Procurator and Governor of Judea. 

Brought up in the school of scepticism, Pilate be- 
lieved in nothing. Doubtful of truth, he was doubt- 
ful of justice as well, justice which dominates in- 
terests, prejudice and passion. But Jesus had all his 
sympathy, and he would willingly have protected Him 
against the Jewish priesthood had he not feared its 
denunciation before Tiberius. 

Despite the brevity of the Biblical account, one can 
easily read between the lines all the peregrinations of 
the internal combat which took place in the Hall of 
Justice between Pilate's conscience and his anxiety for 
his own interest and future. 

On two occasions he had tried to draw back; the 
first time by saying to the Sanhedrites, '' Judge Him 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


331 

yourselves according to your law,” the second, by 
sending Him before Herod as a Galilean. 

Neither of his attempts to avoid the issue having 
succeeded, he began the examination of the case and, 
immediately after questioning Jesus, said frankly to 
the Sanhedrites, ‘‘ I find no cause in this man.” As 
he could not convince them, he attempted to soften 
them by having the Victim chastised. Again he put 
the accusers in the position of choosing between the 
scoundrel Barabbas and Jesus, but these malicious 
people did not hesitate; they chose Barabbas! He 
was their choice, and had Pilate asked them, they 
would perhaps have answered that Barabbas was their 
Messiah. 

After having exhausted these expedients, Pilate was 
forced to pronounce the last word of the law. But 
of all the accusations heaped upon the head of Jesus, 
one alone comes within Pilate’s jurisdiction, and it 
appears to be of a nature to cause him grave trouble 
with Csesar. It is Jesus’ pretension to the royalty of 
Israel. As Caesar’s representative, Pilate could not 
allow this crime of high treason imputed to the 
Prophet, to go unpunished. Did Jesus really wish to 
shake off the yoke of Rome, to regain His country’s 
independence and have Himself proclaimed king. He 
would deserve death. But nothing appeared more im- 
probable to Pilate. 

It is true, that in answer to the questions the Gov- 
ernor had put to Him, Jesus had said that He was 
the King of the Jews,” but He had explained that 
His kingdom was not of this world, and for the three 


33 ^ 


THE CENTURION 


years that He had preached, never had He denounced 
Roman domination, never had He counselled dis- 
obedience or rebellion, never had He pronounced one 
word which could be construed as indicating the slight- 
est desire to release His country from the yoke of the 
stranger. 

One day in Persea, when a great crowd wished to 
proclaim Him king. He had fled from the dignity that 
popular enthusiasm would have imposed upon Him 
and disappeared as if insulted. Another day, the 
Pharisees had set a trap for Him in this direction 
and had tried to compromise Him with the Roman 
authority. But Jesus had made this answer of pro- 
found wisdom, which was an epitome of all his politico- 
religious doctrine, ‘‘ Render therefore to Caesar, the 
things which are Caesar’s, and to God, the things which 
are God’s.” 

It is also true that several days before, Jesus had 
returned as a conqueror to Jerusalem, in the midst of 
the multitude’s acclamations. But in this multitude 
there were neither powerful, ambitious nor influential 
persons. There were but the humble, the poor, the 
disinherited, the powerless, simple hearts, not oc- 
cupied with affairs of state, not even dreaming of 
overturning the established powers. 

Pilate ought to have known all this and had learned 
enough of Jesus to be convinced that this Man could 
not be a menace to Roman power. Doubtless he un- 
derstood or at least suspected that Jesus was a formid- 
able reformer of the Jewish religion, an invincible 
adversary to the Pharisaical priesthood and the Sad- 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


333 


ducees. He understood that the new prophet^s in- 
fluence was such as to overthrow the synagogue and 
thought to himself, This is why the Sanhedrim de- 
sires His death/' But of what import to him were 
the synagogue and the Mosaic law? If the sacerdotal 
prestige and the influence of the theocratic government 
of the Jews were threatened with ruin, so much the 
worse for the chief priests. Neither he nor the 
Romans had any cause for anxiety. The Governor un- 
derstood the Sanhedrites when they said to him that 
Jesus deserved death because He had proclaimed Him- 
self the Son of God. But to him, a Roman magis- 
trate, professing polytheism, it would have been 
ridiculous to pronounce on this part of the law. To 
proclaim oneself God, was not a crime in his eyes, 
but an inoffensive mania. All the sceptics of Rome 
would have ridiculed him had he ordered the cruci- 
fixion of Jesus for such an offense. And he also an- 
swered the Sanhedrites by his attitude. 

“For whom do you take me? Am I also a Jew? 
Do I expect a Messiah? And do you imagine that I 
am going to study your prophets to know if the 
characteristic traits they have given the Messiah cor- 
respond with those of Jesus? It is you who should 
have done this work before declaring Jesus deserving 
of death since you believe in the prophecies and in 
the coming of a Messiah. But do you expect me to 
do this work that you, yourselves have not done? 
Certainly not," and Pilate pursuing this interior mono- 
logue, said to himself, “ On the other side, can I send 

this Man to His death because He has declared Him- 
22 


334 


THE CENTURION 


self king of the Jews? Is not this pretended royalty 
in itself an inoffensive mania? He Himself told me 
He was not of this world, and if His kingdom be not 
of this world, in what way does it interest us? And 
how could Rome be injured by it? What harm is 
there in that this gentle Prophet, who for three years 
has multiplied His good works among His people, 
should dream of a kingdom in another world? It is 
a harmless folly, an illusion, a mirage, I know not 
what ; but it is not treason/^ 

But cries of rage answered this testimony, and this 
judge who spoke in the name of Rome, who had at his 
command an entire cohort of legionaries, who by a 
sign could have had all this rabble put to death, 
trembled before the uprising of the people. 

And when he saw that he could not convince the 
Jews of the innocence of Jesus, he started to argue 
with his own conscience, to convince himself of the 
culpability of his prisoner. 

''What is truth?” he asked, tossing his head. 
" Neither I nor anyone else knows. Who knows if 
this Jesus, who appears to me so innocent, be not 
guilty? In addition. He does not take the trouble to 
deny what is said against Him. Why should I. take 
upon myself His defense against the leaders of His 
nation, who will denounce me in Rome and demand 
my recall? The Sanhedrites have condemned Him; 
they affirm that He is guilty and deserves death. I 
am the only one who believes Him innocent. And the 
instructions I have received from the Emperor com- 
mand me to avoid all conflicts with the leaders of 


THE TWO SENTENCES 


335 


the Jewish people. I will be of their opinion then; 
since they absolutely demand His death, I will decree 
it. He is not a Roman citizen; He is a Jew, and 
since His nation does not want Him, since it wishes 
to suppress Him, I should be a fool to cross the will 
of the people at the risk of being myself — and 
yet, this Man has committed no crime, and it 
would be a noble thing to take Him under my 
protection and make answer to that howling mob, 
‘ I cannot allow you to spill innocent blood. You, 
yourselves have brought me this Man. He is under 
the protection of Rome, and until you shall convince 
me that He has committed a crime, I shall not deliver 
Him over to you.’ Yes, but will this great name of 
Rome under which I shelter my prisoner protect me 
when the chief priests accuse me before Tiberius of 
having liberated a man who himself, in my presence, 
declared he was King of the Jews? ‘The crime of 
high treason,’ they would say, . ‘ an acknowledged 
crime, confessed by the prisoner in open court and 
allowed through the compliance of the Roman Gov- 
ernor to go unpunished.’ Doubtless, I could answer 
that the kingdom of this strange King is not of this 
world, but Tiberius could not understand such lan- 
guage. I, myself, do not understand it, and he would 
say that all pretenders to the throne of David should 
be put to death. To find favor with Tiberius, it does 
not suffice to be innocent ; one must likewise appear to 
be innocent. To all appearances, this unfortunate 
Man seems guilty, and the high priests. Scribes and 
elders and all this crowd, vociferate that He is 


336 


THE CENTURION 


guilty. Is it my fault that He wishes to reform the 
religion of His country? And if He is imprudently 
engaged in mortal combat against adversaries stronger 
than Himself, is it my fault that He has pronounced 
before the Sanhedrim and before me, words that com- 
promised His case? I am not bound to sacrifice my- 
self to save Him, but I am bound to guard the public 
peace; these furious cries which demand His death 
are sufficient to show me that this peace is threatened 
and that it can be re-established only by the death of 
this new Prophet. In any case, an end must be put 
to it. I will make new efforts to appease His enemies, 
and if they then persist in demanding His death, I 
will wash my hands of the whole thing and deliver 
Him.’^ 

Such were, truly, the successive phases of the in- 
ternal combat of Pilate with his conscience, and they 
show His sentence to have been an act of unworthy 
weakness, founded ,on a shadow of legality. The ap- 
parent motive was written on the Cross itself, “ King 
of the Jews,'' but the real motive was fear of 
Tiberius. 


XI 

THE MOURNFUL PROCESSION 

A LITTLE after eleven o'clock in the morning, 
the preparations for the horrible execution 
were finished. The greatest of crimes was to be con- 
summated. Man was about to kill God. 

Who were the guilty ? In the first place the Jewish 


THE MOURNFUL PROCESSION 337 


priesthood and in particular Caiphas and Annas, who 
had plotted, organized and ordered everything; in 
the second place the Jewish people, who had sustained 
and encouraged the priests and created the uproar 
which frightened Pilate ; in the third place, Pilate, who 
perhaps was less guilty than the others, since he had 
made an effort to save the victim. 

Caius was crushed, but he had received the order 
from the Governor, Expedi crucem/^ and he was 
bound to obey, for as yet, he did not believe in the 
divinity of Jesus. 

His heart swelling with grief, he had gone to tell 
Claudia and Camilla that everything was ready, and 
he had set in order the mournful procession. The 
two women climbed to the highest terrace of the 
Tower of Antonia and leaned through the embrasure 
of the parapet to see as well as they could, through 
their tears, the passing of the funeral procession. 

Caius led it on horseback, followed by a company 
of legionaries. After them came Jesus, bearing His 
Cross, followed by two thieves also carrying their in- 
struments of torture. The rest of the Roman cohort, 
on horseback, slowly advanced on each side and be- 
hind the condemned, to protect the cortege against a 
possible outbreak on the part of the immense crowd. 
Friends and enemies of Jesus, strangers come to 
Jerusalem for the feast and interested in the young 
Prophet, the indifferent drawn by curiosity for such 
a spectacle made up a multitude of men, women and 
children, wearing costumes various in form and color 
and speaking many different languages. Their 


338 


THE CENTURION 


number was more than twenty thousand, without 
counting those who watched the passing of the pro- 
cession from the tops of the walls and terraces. This 
crowd was noisy and tumultuous. It disputed, ges- 
ticulated and shouted. The greater number accused 
Jesus and blasphemed Him; only a few dared take up 
His defense. ‘‘ I was an unfortunate leper,’' said one, 

and He cured me.” ‘‘ I was deaf and dumb,” said 
another, and He restored my speech and hearing.” 
“ I was a paralytic, lying on my bed, and it is thanks 
to Him that my body has become strong and healthy.” 
“ I was blind and now I see.” “ Be quiet,” vociferated 
the others, ‘‘ He is an impostor and you are like Him.” 

At the first turn of the road called The Sorrowful 
Way,” several women attempted to penetrate the ranks 
of the soldiers that they might approach Jesus, and 
the soldiers were about to scatter them brutally, when 
Caius saw them. It was the mother of Jesus, Myriam 
and two or three others. ‘‘ Do not touch these 
women,” commanded Caius, and let them follow. 
You see their sorrow. They are the relatives of the 
Condemned.” 

A little farther on, Jesus fell exhausted under the 
weight of His cross, and Caius, calling a passer-by, 
who had entered through the ‘‘ Gate of Judgment,” 
ordered him to carry the Cross beyond the walls. 

Larger and larger grew the crowd; it was like a 
rising tide, and now that the circuit of the fortifica- 
tions had been passed, its waves filled the ravines and 
covered the rocks. 

Claudia and Camilla followed with their eyes the 


THE MOURNFUL PROCESSION 339 

dreadful spectacle, noticing even the slightest inci- 
dents. The Roman cohort always surrounded Jesus, 
advancing in regular ranks. Men and horses, their 
bronze accoutrements glittering, could be seen from 
afar off rising to the summit of Calvary. Columns 
of white dust shrouded the procession at intervals, 
hiding it from sight, while heavy clouds covered the 
sky. But from time to time a ray of sunshine pierced 
through the cleft of the storm and threw fantastic 
shadows on the dreary picture. The weather was 
heavy, damp and dreary, like the sleep of death. 

At last, Claudia and Camilla saw the unhappy multi- 
tude reach the summit of Golgotha. It was a slightly 
elevated rocky hill outside the walls, separated from 
Mt. Moriah by the Valley of the Tyropeon. 

The Tower of Antonia which crowned the horizon 
was the best place of observation from which to watch 
the scene of Calvary. 

A double belt of soldiers surrounded the rock to 
keep the mob away from it. Suddenly the heavy tent 
of clouds that veiled the heavens was torn apart and 
opened like a fiery furnace in the depths of which lay 
the flaming sun. A great burst of red light shot out 
of it and flooded the horrible scene of the Crucifixion. 

Claudia and Camilla then saw distinctly, in the 
midst of the circle of soldiers, Jesus divested of His 
garments, raised up, fastened and nailed to the Cross, 
which the executioners dropped into a hole in the rock 
prepared for it. 

Their eyes closed with horror, and when they opened 
them again they could see nothing more. The clouds 


340 


THE CENTURION 


had closed together and become perfectly black. 
Thick shadows enveloped Golgotha, and Jerusalem 
was plunged into a profound and mysterious night. 
It was noon, and the two women, overcome with dis- 
tress, withdrew into their apartments, asking them- 
selves if the sun were not extinguished forever. 


XII 

ON CALVARY 

T he darkness that enveloped Jerusalem increased, 
and became terrifying. It could not be an 
eclipse of the sun, because it was the time of the full 
moon. What was this phenomenon that turned the 
middle of the day into darkest night? 

Oh, you who asked for a sign from heaven that 
you might believe in Jesus, do you see this sign? If 
you do not, it is because you have no eyes to see it. 
However, even the indifferent spectators became ter- 
rified and silently returned to their dwellings. Others, 
not less frightened, began to speak in low voices and 
asked themselves if this were not the end of the 
world that the Prophet had predicted. Several of 
the holy women believed it, for not an hour before, 
Jesus had repeated this prediction when they had 
drawn near Him. On the route to Calvary, He had 
heard their sobs and said to them, 

‘‘ Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but 
weep for yourselves and for your children. For be- 
hold the days shall come wherein they will say, 


ON CALVARY 


341 


‘ Blessed are the barren and the wombs that have not 
borne and the breasts that have not given suck/ Then 
shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall upon 
us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if in the green 
wood they do these things, what shall be done in the 
dry ? ” 

When would these terrible prophecies be accom- 
plished? They did not know, but perhaps this was 
the beginning. Weeping, they had followed Jesus to 
the end, and it is to the eternal glory of woman that 
the gospels written by men mention not one of them 
who abandoned Jesus in these days of mourning and 
of treachery. 

And now they had gathered together at the foot of 
the cross. Caius had allowed them to approach after 
the execution was over. 

The mother of Jesus, her eyes dry now, but red 
from the tears shed since morning, her face pale and 
drawn in grief, stood erect by the body of her son. 
From time to time she bent her head and kissed His 
feet; then she would raise it and looking toward the 
stormy sky would say in a low voice, ■ 

“Oh, Jehovah, have pity! Your Son is my Son, 
too, and I sacrifice Him to you for the salvation of 
the world ! 

Myriam, on her knees, her head covered with a 
black veil from which the waves of her abundant hair 
escaped, wrapped her arms about the foot of the Cross 
and covered with her kisses and her tears the feet 
of the Crucified. The other women, seated on the 
ground, covered with their scarfs of dark colors, their 


342 


THE CENTURION 


heads enveloped in long black veils, sighed and 
lamented, looking at the bleeding body of their well- 
beloved Master, which stood out from the dark night 
like a great white phantom. 

Standing, but with his head upon his breast, was the 
disciple whom Jesus loved, keeping close to Mary, 
absorbed in dumb sorrow. Every fibre of his being 
was united with the sacrifice that was taking place. 
His beloved Master was at the same time its Priest 
and its Victim, and he, erect by the altar of the new 
law, offered with Mary, the August Victim to 
Jehovah. 

And also there stood on Calvary he whom Jesus 
had chosen and instituted Head of the Apostles and 
who had shamefully denied Him. During the twelve 
hours that had passed, he had wandered, wild with 
grief, first among the tombs in the Valley of Jehosa- 
phat, then under the porticoes of the temple and 
around the Pretorium. In the night, he had met 
Judas at the tomb of Absalom, and his first thought 
had been to throw himself upon the traitor and 
strangle him, but he had said to himself, ‘‘ I am as 
guilty as he.’’ And full of horror of himself, as 
well as for Judas, he had fled toward Gethsemane. 
There he had remained until day, prostrated in the 
grotto of the Agony, and, on the earth still soaked in 
the sweat and blood of his Master, he had shed 
floods of tears. At break of day, he had not dared 
return to the palace of the High Priest, where the 
final trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrim was near- 
ing its close. This scene of his crime filled him with 


ON CALVARY 


343 


horror, but lost in the crowd that filled the court of 
the Pretorium, he had followed with an ever-increas- 
ing grief all the scenes of the great judicial drama 
and, mingling with the multitude, he had formed part 
of the sinister procession. 

When he saw Jesus on the Cross, he fell, his face 
to the ground, and believed he might die with Him. 
But a flood of tears relieved him, and, rising shortly, 
he glided in between the soldiers, the better to see 
his Master. Then the divine Victim raised His head 
and cast upon him a long look. It was no longer 
the accusing gaze that had pierced his conscience in 
the court of the high-priest, nor the frown of the 
judge which fixes itself upon the fleeing form of a 
traitor. It was a look of sweetness and sympathy, 
of mercy and pardon. It was the touching expression 
of the Father on the return of the prodigal son. 
Jesus appeared to say,-^^ 

Poor Peter ! I know the full extent of thy sor- 
row, and I forgive thee. Thy denial is forgotten, 
and I only remember thy protestations of love and 
of faith, so ardent, so spontaneous, so sincere.’’ 

Outside the circle formed by the soldiers, was a 
crowd which seemed composed altogether of Jesus’ 
enemies. There were, however, many of His friends 
in this multitude. A great number of them had 
taken part in His triumph and had proclaimed Him 
five days before. There were also among them 
many whom He had overwhelmed with benefits, 
whom He had miraculously fed in the desert, whose 
sick and infirm He had cured. But among these 


344 


THE CENTURION 


would-be friends, how many ungrateful, forgetful, 
weak and cowardly ones there were! A sufficient 
number was there, perhaps, but lacking courage, they 
kept silence through self-interest, fear and weakness 
and allowed events to take their course. Thus it is 
in all revolutionary movements. The malicious and 
violent minority terrorizes and governs the majority. 

On Calvary, it was led by men of power, chief 
priests. Scribes and elders. Nothing is so terrible 
as religious strife among an excited people. It was 
like a roaring sea whose waves beat against the slopes 
of Calvary, and from which rose clamorings, im- 
precations and blasphemies. Thou who destroyest 
the temple of God and in three days buildest it up, 
save thyself now.’’ “ If thou be the Son of God, 
come down from the Cross 1 ” And these miracles 
which the blasphemers believed impossible and which 
they defied Him to do, Jesus without answering was 
in the act of accomplishing. The destruction of this 
beautiful temple of God which was His body, was tak- 
ing place, and He would rebuild it in less than three 
days! And the other Temple, in which Jehovah had 
dwelt for centuries, would remain empty. A few 
hours more, and He would descend from the Cross, 
sleep for less than three days in the tomb and come out 
of it alive ! 

The chief priests, proud of their victory, mingled 
with the popular imprecations sarcasms which they 
thought clever. He saved others,” they cried, 
‘‘ Himself He cannot save.” How is this, you admit, 
now, that Jesus saved others, but why did you deny it 


ON CALVARY 


345 


until to-day, and why do you still deny that He can 
save Himself? Let Him but finish His work. He 
still has some drops of blood to shed for your salva- 
tion, and when He shall have shed them, He will save 
Himself! 

But to sarcasm, abuse, defiance, as well as to the 
vociferations of the multitude, to the triumphal cries 
of the Sanhedrites, Jesus answered nothing. “ This 
time,’^ said the leaders, rubbing their hands together, 
‘‘ we have finished with Him. Our victory is complete.- 
He is not only vanquished; He who dared call Him- 
self the Son of God is annihilated! After all His 
works. His preaching. His journeys. His pretended 
miracles, what remains to Him? Nothing. What 
has He founded? Nothing. His end is complete. 
His ruin is total and definite, and He will return to 
the emptiness from whence He sprung. Not a corner 
of the earth belongs to Him. Not a piece of furni- 
ture, not a coin, not the slightest token He can be- 
queath His friends. His friends! No longer has 
He any. Those who followed have abandoned or be- 
trayed Him.’’ 

This was all true, and yet not all. Jesus had, at 
least. His garments, but He has been robbed even of 
these. The soldiers divided them among themselves, 
and as His coat could not be divided, they cast lots 
for it ! 

Jesus had had the reputation of being a sage and 
scholar. He was regarded now as insane. He ap- 
peared to have lost the use of speech and had been 
incapable of defending Himself before the tribunals. 


346 


THE CENTURION 


His very fame for sanctity, by a strange miscarriage 
of justice, had condemned Him as a criminal. 

Jesus was such a worker of miracles as the world 
had never known. He is now reduced to the most 
complete powerlessness. He has lost all care for his 
own preservation. He was the most beautiful of 
the children of men, and now look at Him! Cov- 
ered with wounds and all disfigured. He is hideous 
to behold. He had a disciple whom he tenderly loved ; 
He had a mother whom He cherished. Do these 
loves at least remain to Him? Yes, but He is about 
to sacrifice them also, and bequeath them to each 
other. 

Listen! Listen! He has recovered speech. 

‘‘Woman, behold your Son; John, behold your 
Mother.” 

Does anything else remain to Him? His naked 
body, perhaps? No, it belongs to human jus- 
tice. 

Ah! Satan! How thou must have laughed that 
day at Him whom thou didst lead up to a mountain 
three years before, whom thou didst offer all the king- 
doms of the earth and who refused them ! 

Ah! Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, chant your 
victory. The supreme agony of Jesus is taking place. 
The terrifying vision which cast Him to earth in the 
Garden of Gethsemane passes at this moment before 
His eyes. The great wave of blood rises and falls 
and comes to beat against the foot of the Cross. In 
an instant it will submerge everything. His bleeding 
head has dropped upon His breast. His hair has 


ON CALVARY 


347 


fallen over His eyes, veiling His last looks. His 
weak voice murmurs this last painful acknowledgment 
of His powerlessness, 

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? 

Enemies of Jesus! Shout out your triumph! But 
hasten, for the hour of your defeat is close at hand! 
All that you think is lost, is saved! And all that 
appears to you finished is but begun. 

Jesus gives His last sigh, but at this supreme 
moment. He raises His head and cries out in a voice 
so powerful that it resounds to the depths of tombs 
like the clarion call of the Last Judgment. The 
Temple of Solomon heard it. Its heavy bronze doors 
open of themselves and the veil of the Holy of Holies 
is rent from the top even to the bottom. The sacred 
fire in the great golden candelabra is put out; the 
earth trembles, the rocks are rent, the graves open and 
the dead walk forth. 

Singular victim in truth is He who thus announces 
His defeat to the universe! The sun was already 
plunged into darkness, and here in turn the earth 
mourns and trembles, and to replace the living who do 
not recognize the conqueror, the dead arise to pro- 
claim His victory. 

Monstrous aberration of human liberty! Reason- 
able man has remained deaf to the voice of His 
Creator, but physical nature has heard it! The des- 
pairing cry of God had not moved the hearts of men, 
but had disrupted the bowels of the earth and the 
utmost heights of the heavens! Nevertheless, after 
the last cry of Jesus had been heard upon earth and 


348 


THE CENTURION 


in the solemn silence which followed, one human voice 
arose, one voice which had the courage to throw into 
the face of the persecutors this great avowal of faith, 
“ In truth this Man was the Son of God.’" 

You have recognized the Centurion. 


PART V 


TRIUMPH OF THE SON OF GOD 
I 

LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH 

T he victory of death appeared complete, final 
and definite. Political and sacerdotal power 
had united to put an end to this man who disturbed 
its calm, and the nation had been its accomplice. Its 
innocent victim slept His last sleep under a rocky hill 
in a tomb which had been closed and sealed. 

In the opinion of men, everything was over. Noth- 
ing remained of the great Prophet, the great Doctor, 
the great Thaumaturgist, and His memory as well 
would soon dies in the minds of His feeble disciples. 

Deserted on the summit of Calvary, the Cross re- 
mained standing. But who, at that time, could ever 
believe that it would become a sign of victory ? Who 
could have imagined that it would one day be the tree 
of life for all humanity? 

Nevertheless, there were still souls who remained 
faithful to Jesus of Nazareth, souls that guarded in 
the inmost depths of their being the three great virtues 
that constitute supernatural life; Faith, Hope and 
Love. Death may kill man, but not the feelings, sen- 
349 


23 


350 THE CENTURION 

timents, ideas and doctrines which contain the germ 
of life. 

On Mt. Zion in a humble dwelling, Peter and John 
wept and prayed. They wept for Him whom they 
had loved and whom still they loved with all their 
souls, their Master, Father, Friend. To whom did 
they pray? They prayed to Him who had told them 
that He was the Son of God. And if any one had 
come to say to them, ‘‘ He to whom you pray is no 
longer here. He can no longer hear you, you will 
never see Him again,” they would have answered, 
We will see Him again, in His kingdom, for there 
He has gone to prepare a place for us.” 

For yesterday from the height of his Cross He 
had again spoken to the good thief of His kingdom, 
and had promised that on that same day he would be 
with Him in Paradise. 

In the Cenacle, the other disciples and some of the 
holy women had spent the night in prayer and tears, 
and now they understood the boundlessness of His 
love, this Master whom they had followed for three 
years, and what a void His death would leave in their 
lives. And over there, in Galilee, the first messengers 
who had carried the news of the crucifixion had met 
but the incredulous. “ No,” they said, “ it was im- 
possible. The Master of life and death could not 
have been killed like an ordinary man, and what would 
become of Galilee without Him? How could they 
console themselves for no longer hearing or seeing 
Him?” 

Sorrow was universal and deep, because it was pro- 


LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH 351 


portioned to love. Had all these sincere believers 
forgotten the prophecy of the Master — that He would 
rise again the third day? No! but everything was 
still so full of mystery for them. It is He, they 
thought, who raised Lazarus, and He had given us 
so many proofs of His power that this great miracle 
did not astonish us. But now that He is dead, who 
will bring Him to life, and what will this resurrection 
really be? Will He take up His life with us as of 
old ? And the three days prophesied ? Must we take 
them literally or as a figure? 

These questions crossed their minds but, without 
dwelling upon them, they put them aside and no longer 
reflected upon them. Grief absorbed them. It was 
their love that suffered, and without troubling them- 
selves concerning future mysteries, they persisted in 
the belief that all was not yet finished; they awaited 
what was to come — for them, the unknown. The 
victory of death was not complete. It had killed the 
beloved Being, but the love He had inspired remained 
alive in the hearts of men. There it had grown even 
greater, and a few, such as Gamaliel, Nicodemus, 
Claudia and Camilla understood only after His death 
how much their hearts had belonged to the divine Cru- 
cified One. 

Even the chief priests began to have doubts about 
their victory. They had imagined that the day after 
the death of their victim would be a day of public re- 
joicing, but never had the Sabbath dawned so sad 
and mournful. Desolation reigned everywhere, the 
Temple itself being deserted by reason of the terrify- 


352 


THE CENTURION 


ing phenomena which had taken place there the even- 
ing before and which could not be explained. The 
crowd of curious who had gone up to Calvary the 
preceding night had returned overwhelmed, beating 
their breasts and proclaiming themselves disciples of 
Jesus now that He was dead. 

Along the route to Caesarea the Procurator fled, 
deeply troubled at having found himself face to face 
with the God Man; and at his side rode Caius over- 
come with grief in his double love, but immovable in 
his faith in the Crucified, having decided to sacrifice 
all things to Him, even his most brilliant hopes for the 
future and the tenderest feelings of his heart. But 
the better to understand his state of soul, we must go 
back to the preceding evening and see what had passed 
between the new disciple of the Son of God and 
Camilla, his well-beloved. 


II 

FAITH STRONGER THAN LOVE 

N ight was failing when the Centurion, returning 
from Calvary, entered the house of the Procura- 
tor and found Camilla and Claudia weeping together. 
He told them with deep emotion of the last moments 
of the Crucified. 

“And what will be done with His body?’' they 
asked anxiously. 

“You may be reassured on that point; it reposes 


FAITH STRONGER THAN LOVE 353 


at this moment in the beautiful sepulchre of Joseph of 
Arimathea.” 

Already ? But tell us how it was so quickly 
done?” 

It was in this way; Joseph of Arimathea owns a 
villa at the northwest of Calvary. One corner of the 
rock is enclosed in his garden. A few months ago, 
our friend had a tomb built for himself and his family 
in the side of this rock. It must have been an in- 
spiration, for hardly had Jesus of Nazareth been nailed 
to the cross when Joseph of Arimathea said to him- 
self, ‘ My sepulchre shall be for Him, for Him who 
is Master of the world and does not own an inch of 
ground wherein to be buried.’ Then he easily ob- 
tained from the Procurator permission to take pos- 
session of the body and give it suitable burial. Then 
Nicodemus went into the city to buy the winding- 
sheet, shroud, bandages and necessary spices. As 
soon as I could verify the death of Jesus, I permitted 
Him to be taken down from the Cross, and our two 
friends, aided by the disciples and holy women, em- 
balmed our Master, and placed Him in the sepulchre. 
A winding path not more than two hundred feet in 
length leads from the cross to the door of the 
sepulchre, and Joseph of Arimathea himself presided 
over the accomplishment of the last sad duties. On 
account of the Sabbath quiet which had just begun, 
they made haste, and before sun had set, the painful 
ceremony was finished.” 

‘‘ Oh, Caius ! What sorrow ! And how these events 
have been hastened. Yesterday He was still full of 


354 


THE CENTURION 


life. Three days ago, the Temple resounded to the 
anathemas He hurled against the Pharisees, and now 
He is no more. Have you seen the Procurator ? ’’ 

Yes ; he is all upset and desires to leave without 
delay for Caesarea, whither he orders me to follow 
him.’’ 

''And you are going?” 

" Alas, yes, Camilla, and it will not be a few days’ 
separation only. I have death in my soul, and have 
come to say farewell.” 

" Farewell? what can you mean? ” 

" Listen to me, dear one. You remember that five 
days ago, the triumphal entry of Jesus of Nazareth 
into Jerusalem took place? This triumph was a sub- 
ject of great rejoicing for us and gave us hope that 
the prophet would overthrow His enemies. Your 
father frowned upon our hopes, and the same evening 
bade me come to his apartments, where he told me 
plainly his wishes on the subject of our love. ' Your 
affection for my daughter,’ he said, ' at first met with 
no opposition from me, and perhaps this union would 
have been the consolation of my old age. But your 
open and compromising sympathy for Jesus of 
Nazareth has changed my opinion, and now, remem- 
ber well what I am about to say, I will never consent 
that Camilla marry a disciple of this impostor. He is 
an enemy of my race and of my religion. If you 
definitely enter this detestable sect, all our associa- 
tion must be broken off, and I warn you, you will 
lose your social position, your rank and your future 
career.’ I bowed without an answer to this im- 


FAITH STRONGER THAN LOVE 355 

mutable decree of your father, Camilla. And now I 
come to tell you that the event he foresaw has taken 
place. I have become Jesus’ disciple. To-day on the 
summit of Calvary, when He gave forth his last sigh, 
I proclaimed aloud that He was the Son of God. My 
new faith, immovable and firm as it is, creates an 
abyss between your family and mine. All relations 
between us must in consequence be broken, and I can 
only say farewell.” 

“ Oh, my dear Gains, have we not had for Jesus of 
Nazareth the same sympathy? Does His end not 
afflict me as it does you? Let us weep together for 
Him, and not forget Him. But now that He is dead, 
what can we do for Him? What can He do for us? 
It seems as if death, this terrible juggler, has reduced 
to human proportions this extraordinary Personage 
whose power seemed supernatural, and it is hard for 
me to understand how your faith in Him grows, now 
His role is ended.” 

It is not ended, Camilla. Divinity cannot die, 
but when its work appears vanquished it has need of 
defenders.” 

‘‘ Your heart is noble, Caius, and I admire your 
courage, but in the name of our love, reflect again, and 
in the enthusiasm of to-day do not lose sight of to- 
morrow. If you do not hesitate to wound my heart, 
at least consider your own career and the destruction 
of so many other ties dear to you. Think of your 
family whose hope and honor you are, of your friends 
in Rome, of your country itself which has a claim upon 
you.” 


356 


THE CENTURION 


“ I have thought of everything, and am in despair 
when I realize that the first sacrifice demanded by my 
faith is my love for you; not only will your father 
never consent to your union with a disciple of the 
Crucified, but even were he to consent, I myself must 
now refuse. We do not share the same faith. Fare- 
well, farewell, Camilla.” 

Oh, Caius, you will break my heart” 

I can understand that you suffer, dear one, but 
I suffer more than you. I love you with every atom 
of my being, but I believe in Jesus of Nazareth. He 
is my God, and my life hereafter belongs to Him. 
Some day, perhaps, you will understand that faith is 
stronger than love and that love without faith has no 
right to exist. It must be an eternal farewell, if my 
God never becomes thy God.” 


Ill 

TWOFOLD SORROW 

T he following day Camilla wrote in her journal 
to her mother: A twofold grief envelopes my 
soul. I understand now what Myriam of Magdala 
explained to me the other day, how the human heart 
is great enough to hold two loves at the same time, 
a natural love and one that is supernatural. 

These two feelings filled all my being, and both of 
them are torn from me at the same moment. Oh, 
Sweet Prophet of Nazareth, how dear He was to 
me. I loved Him with an ideal love, as one loves the 


TWOFOLD SORROW 


357 

Good, the True, the Beautiful. I loved Him as I 
should love God, if I knew Him. 

For a long time I had not believed in Jupiter, I felt 
myself drawn towards Jehovah, but can I believe in 
Him when I have seen His criminal priests leading the 
best, the most innocent and the most perfect of men 
to death? Oh, Mother, if ever God existed upon 
earth, it was Jesus of Nazareth, but God does not die, 
and He — is dead. 

Oh, grief, oh, hopeless misfortune ! The great con- 
soler of all the unfortunate, the healer of all infirmity, 
the incomparable orator whose speech eclipsed all that 
is most beautiful in the human mind, the vanquisher 
of death is dead. 

Can you understand that. Mother? He who raised 
Lazarus is dead. He who commanded the winds, the 
tempests, the sea, the demons, is dead. 

And when I think, oh, my Mother, that it was 
Pilate, my dear sister Claudia’s husband, who ratified 
the sentence of the priesthood and who caused its 
execution ! What unworthy weakness ! He pro- 
claimed Jesus innocent and yet put Him to death! 
Ah, I understand his trouble now. He no longer 
dared look us in the face, and left for Caesarea in the 
middle of the night, furious with the chief priests who 
tore the iniquitous sentence from him and cursing with 
every sort of imprecation this infamous and stupid 
nation who cried aloud, Crucify Him ! ” He left 
on horseback, accompanied by an escort, without wait- 
ing for daybreak. He could no longer endure the 
sight of Jerusalem and its horrible people. 


358 


THE CENTURION 


My noble Cains accompanied him, commanding the 
Governor’s escort. I weep for him too, for he is lost 
to me. My well-beloved, my only love, is like one 
dead to me, for he has declared himself a disciple of 
Jesus, and my father has forbidden all intercourse be- 
tween us. 

Oh, Mother, what a happy woman would she be 
who could at the same time be a disciple of Jesus and 
the wife of Caius. You know how he cared for me, 
and how he had confessed his love. But there was One 
whom he admired more than he did me, and who 
better deserved his love. It was the prophet of 
Nazareth. From afar off and without ever having 
spoken to Him, he felt himself drawn towards Him 
and loved Him. 

And do you know what moment my noble Caius 
chose for proclaiming his faith? It was when he 
saw the Prophet betrayed and abandoned, even by 
those whom He had chosen — shamed, despised, 
buffeted by the crowd, accused and condemned by 
the Sanhedrim and by the Governor. It was then 
that his noble heart revolted against so much injustice ! 
It was when he saw his hero, so powerful the even- 
ing before, reduced to impotence and sighing forth 
His last sigh. It was when he saw the hopes and the 
devotion of the friends of yesterday dying away, that 
he affirmed his belief. 

Upright, before the Cross, in the face of the cow- 
ardly and insulting, he saluted with his sword the 
great Victim, and cried, ‘‘ This Man is in truth the 
Son of God.” 


TWOFOLD SORROW 


359 

Oh, my Mother, if Caius be in the wrong, his error 
is more beautiful than truth. 

What will become of me? And my poor Claudia 
suffers not less than I, for she, too, loved the wonder- 
ful Prophet and did all in her power to prevent her 
husband from condemning Him. But Pilate was 
afraid of entering into conflict with the Sanhedrites, 
who would have denounced him in Rome and de- 
manded his recall. 

We wander like lost spirits through the vast cham- 
bers of the Tower of Antonia. This morning we 
climbed up to the main parapet where we could see 
Mt. Calvary. On perceiving the upright Cross* with 
its extended arms, we fell on our knees and wept. 
Then we went into the Temple; it was deserted. No 
longer will it echo to the touching sympathetic voice 
of the Prophet. The great veil of the Holy of Holies 
is terribly torn from the dome to the pavement, leav- 
ing open to all comers the mysterious depths known 
only to the High Priest. It is said that since yester- 
day strange voices have been heard there, crying, Let 
us leave this place.’’ The earthquake destroyed the 
east wall of the sanctuary. The altar of Holocausts 
was cracked by the shaking, and the great bronze 
doors opened of themselves and were torn from their 
hinges. 

The whole city is plunged in a stupor, as if from 
remorse for its crimes. One meets no one in the 
streets, where several risen corpses have been seen, 
still covered with the winding sheets of the grave from 
which they came. A breath of crime and death blows 


THE CENTURION 


360 

through the little winding, twisting, sombre paths, that 
lead from the Tyropeon to Gareb. 

To-day Claudia read me several lines from the 
Prophet Jeremias. In them appeared to us the Jerusa- 
lem of to-day. 

“See how it sits alone, the populous city! 

“ She who was greatest among the nations has become as a 
widow. 

“ She weeps bitterly during the night. 

“The streets of Zion are in mourning, because no one comes 
any more to its feasts.” 

Jerusalem has multiplied her iniquities; and that 
is why she has become an outcast. 


No longer knowing what to do with ourselves, an 
inspiration came to us. “ Our sorrow is great,’’ we 
said, but there is a greater one. It is that of the 
Prophet’s Mother. Let us go to see her. Nothing 
is so consoling as to comfort those who are more af- 
flicted than one’s self.” We sent for Joseph of Ari- 
mathea, and he led us to the residence of the disciple of 
Jesus named John, situated on Mt. Zion. After a 
short interview with John, who is plunged into the 
deepest grief, we were admitted into the presence of 
this woman whose Son was the greatest of human 
beings. 

Behold the Mother of Sorrows ! ” we thought on 
seeing her. She is not yet fifty years of age, and 
though broken by the tragedy which has come to her, 
is still most beautiful. We told her of our admira- 


THE EMPTY TOMB 


361 

tion for her incomparable Son and our distress at 
having seen Him die. She seemed touched, but re- 
mained for a long time without speaking. This mute 
sorrow filled us with such emotion that we began to 
weep, and it was she whom we had come to console 
who comforted us. 

“ Be comforted,’’ she said, all is not over. My 
Son predicted that He would rise again the third day, 
and He has never deceived anyone.” 

‘‘ You believe, then, that He will live again? ” 

“ I am certain of it, since He said so.” 

This absolute faith in the resurrection of her Son, 
whom she also proclaims to be her God, gave us cour- 
age and hope, and we returned to the palace consoled. 
But how believe in the unbelievable, oh, Mother? 
How will the impossible become possible ? 


IV 

THE EMPTY TOMB ^ 

[(Extract from Camilla’s Journal.) 

Monday Morning, Hour (p A. M,), 
April loth, Year of Rome 

Y es, Mother, this dark tomb sealed and guarded 
by soldiers is empty. The enormous stone 
which had closed the entrance was found yesterday, 
before dawn, to have been mysteriously overturned, 
and on the marble table where Jesus of Nazareth 
slept His last sleep were found the winding sheet, the 


362 


THE CENTURION 


cloths which covered His head, and the bandages 
which enveloped His embalmed body. 

What has become of Him? and what is this new 
mystery? Is the prediction of His venerable Mother 
realized and is her glorious Son risen from the dead? 
This is the question which agitates the people now 
and which is feverishly discussed under the porticoes 
of the Temple. 

The priests describe how the soldiers who guarded 
the tomb fell asleep and how, during this sleep, the 
apostles went to the sepulchre and carried away the 
body of their Master. But the apostles energetically 
deny this story and affirm under oath that Jesus of 
Nazareth is risen, that He has shown Himself living 
to several of them as well as to the holy women. 

Public feeling is intense; a courier was dispatched 
to Pilate to inform him of this event, which might 
cause new trouble. It is thought that the Governor 
should make an examination to discover the truth of 
the matter. If the version of the priests be true, the 
soldiers should be punished for having failed in their 
duty, and the disciples should be imprisoned for vio- 
lation of the sepulchre and theft of the body. 

Claudia and I believe that Pilate and Caius will 
return from Caesarea to-morrow night or Wednes- 
day. While waiting, I myself have tried to gather 
some information. I went at first to our decurion, 
Joseph of Arimathea, and together we walked to the 
sepulchre which this good man had had built for him- 
self and which he gave for the burial of the Prophet. 
It is reached through his garden, by a path bordered 


THE EMPTY TOMB 


363 


with aloes, hyssop and scarlet anemones. It is dug 
out of the rock which forms the northwest extremity 
of Golgotha and which is part of our old friend’s 
garden. The place of the Crucifixion is from a hun- 
dred and fifty to two hundred feet to the southeast of 
it. We found this spot exactly as it had been de- 
scribed, the stone overturned but intact, without any 
trace of violence, and the tomb empty. 

Joseph of Arimathea entered it, and when he came 
out, said, I will have another sepulchre dug under 
this same rock for my mortal remains, hereafter this 
one shall be sacred. It will be the Temple of the 
new religion, the new Kingdom of Israel and of the 
risen God Man.” Is it a prophecy ? I cannot say, but 
Joseph of Arimathea has not the shadow of a doubt 
that Jesus is risen again. 

And now I am going to Bethany to question Myr- 
iam, for it is said that Jesus has appeared to her. 

Same day, 6th hour. 

Scarcely had I crossed the threshold of Lazarus* 
house when Myriam, in an ecstasy of joy threw her- 
self into my arms and cried, “ Oh, Camilla, what 
wonderful things have happened since I saw you! 
He who was dead is living! I saw Him full of life 
as I see you now, and He spoke to me.” 

‘‘ Be calm, Myriam,” I said, and tell me every- 
thing.” 

Then we sat down on a divan, and Myriam told me 
the following story : 

‘‘ Yesterday morning before sunrise, after two days 


THE CENTURION 


364 

of weeping and two sleepless nights, Mary, the mother 
of James, Salome and I left here for the sepulchre 
where our Master slept in Jerusalem. We carried 
with us aromatic spices that we had bought Saturday 
night after the Sabbath, and were going to embalm 
His body. We did not know then that the sepulchre 
had been guarded by soldiers since the day before 
and had in our minds but one anxiety: who would 
remove for us the stone that closed the tomb? But 
we went on impulsively where our hearts and our love 
led us. The closer we approached, the more my soul 
trembled with impatience, and my companions were 
so slow that I ran on ahead. I was rounding the Hill 
of Golgotha, when suddenly the earth shook violently 
under my feet. I stopped a moment, overcome, and 
saw some frightened soldiers running past me where 
I stood. But I continued on my way to the sepulchre 
and, when I reached it, saw that the stone which closed 
the entrance had been thrown down and that the tomb 
was empty. 

Imagine my sorrow, Camilla, and that of my com- 
panions, who arrived after me and who penetrated 
into the sepulchre. I left them there and ran as fast 
as I could to John’s house on Mt. Zion. Peter was 
there, and I told him they had taken away the body 
of the Divine Master. Peter and John started run- 
ning to the sepulchre ; I followed quickly as I could. 

‘‘ But as soon as they realized the tomb was empty, 
they turned in great affliction and preoccupation to 
tell the other disciples. 

‘‘ I stayed there alone to weep, kneeling in the door 


THE EMPTY TOMB 


365 


of the sepulchre, my eyes fixed on the dark interior 
where my Master had slept for the last time, when 
suddenly I saw two angels dressed in white sitting on 
the stone. 

^ Woman, why weepest thou ? ’ they asked me. 

‘ They have taken away my Lord,’ I said, ^ and 
I know not where they have laid Him.’ 

But behold, as I turned, I saw a man standing 
near me. I thought it was Joseph’s gardener, and I 
said to him, 

‘‘ ‘ If it is you who have taken Him away, tell me 
where you have put Him, so that I may take care of 
Him.’ 

And then the face of the Unknown changed, and 
the gentle voice I knew so well, said, 

‘‘ ‘ Myriam ! ’ 

‘ Raboni,’ I cried, throwing myself at His feet, 
for it was He, my Jesus, well beloved, who was there, 
alive and near me. I wanted to kiss His feet, but 
He said to me, ‘ Do not touch Me. I have not yet 
returned to My Father. 

‘‘ ‘ Go take this message to my brothers ; I go to my 
Father and to your Father, to my God and to your 
God.’ 

‘‘ And He disappeared. 

‘‘Judge of my emotion, Camilla! I melted into 
tears of joy and of love and was almost fainting. I 
could not tear myself away from the blessed spot 
where I had just seen my well Beloved alive, but sud- 
denly remembering His message and hastening to ful- 
fill it, I took my way toward the Cenacle where I sup- 
24 


THE CENTURION: 


366 

posed the disciples were gathered. Peter and John 
were not yet there, but I found the others. I told 
them all and gave them the Master’s message. They 
did not believe me. 

This grieved me and I was turning away, when Jo- 
hanna, wife of Chusa, and several other women ar- 
rived, and described how Jesus had appeared to them, 
giving them this other message, f 

‘‘ ‘ Go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, 
there they shall see Me.’ 

The disciples remained incredulous, but they will 
be so no longer when they have seen Him as I, Ca- 
milla, full of life looking at me and speaking as He 
did before the terrible day of His death.” 

Myriam started to weep. 

‘‘ But why do you weep,” I said. 

It is from joy and happiness ! My heart is swell- 
ing and these tears relieve me.” 

Oh, my Mother, I am certain that Myriam speaks 
the truth and that she is not laboring under an hallu- 
cination. Jesus of Nazareth has really risen as He 
promised. 


The same day, pth hour. 

Nicodemus has just left the palace. He confirmed 
the unbelievable but true report of the resurrection 
of this Jesus whom I no longer know what to call. 

One can no longer doubt. Yesterday He showed 
Himself alive to Myriam, Johanna and to other 
women, to Simon, to two disciples who conversed for 
a long time and had supper with Him at Emmaus, 


PILATE’S LAST ACT 


367 

and lastly in the evening to the reunited apostles. 
He spoke to them, He showed them His wounded 
hands and feet which they touched. He ate with 
them and after having conferred upon them extraor- 
dinary powers and a mission which Nicodemus could 
not explain clearly to me, said to them, Pax vobis/' 
and disappeared. 

What extraordinary happenings, dear Mother. Our 
poet made a great mistake when he wrote, ''Nil 
novum sub sole! ** Behold, here are marvels that the 
sun had never before seen. What other wonders 
shall we see? 


V 

PILATE^S LAST ACT 

I T will be remembered that the Roman Governor 
believed that the question of the Messiah would, 
in the death of Jesus of Nazareth, receive its brutal 
and final solution. He was very certain at that time 
that all the excitement raised by the Prophet of Gal- 
ilee would absolutely cease from the moment of His 
death. 

Despite the looks Jesus had cast upon him during 
the trial, His noble and dignified bearing, His un- 
usual words. His serenity in the face of sacerdotal 
hatred and the popular uproar had greatly troubled 
him, and it was to gain a little quiet that he had gone 
to Caesarea. 

Scarcely had he arrived, when messengers ran from 


368 


THE CENTURION 


Jerusalem to bring him this strange news; that Jesus 
had come out of His tomb and a new strife was im- 
minent between the chief priests and the disciples of 
the Crucified, or even the Crucified Himself who, it 
was said, had risen again. 

Death then had not finally solved the Messianic 
question? Since when had death allowed itself to be 
vanquished? And if Jesus had really risen, what 
would follow? It would be a solution of the Messi- 
anic question, but very different from that which 
Pilate had predicted. It would be the definite triumph 
of Jesus of Nazareth. But a reversal of all the laws 
of nature and of history was not possible. And 
therefore among the different messages brought from 
Jerusalem that of the priests was the only apparently 
true one, that the disciples had carried away the body 
of their Master, while the guards slept. It was 
strange However, that these soldiers who were numer- 
ous, should all have slept in contempt of their disci- 
pline, and that not one of them should have been awak- 
ened by the noise the disciples must have made in 
opening the sepulchre and carrying the body away; 
and what had they done with that body? Could it 
not be found? 

Evidently, if the soldiers slept, they did not see the 
carrying away of the body, and their testimony would 
only prove that they were asleep. 

“ But,'’ say the priests, ‘‘ one must presume it was 
the disciples who carried the body away, for they 
alone had any interest in so doing, to noise the fact 
abroad that their Master had risen of Himself.” 


PILATE’S LAST ACT 


369 


This is true; nevertheless, it would be a very stupid 
falsehood that no one would believe. A resurrection 
can only be proved by showing the risen being alive, 
and all those to whom the apostles would say their 
Master had risen, would answer, “ Show Him to us ; 
if He be living, you must have seen Him. Where? 
When? And to how many people has He appeared? 
What does He do and what does He expect to do with 
this life which He has won from death? ’’ And what 
good would this absurd lie do the disciples? Why 
should they expose themselves to the same persecution 
and death their Master had suffered? What victory 
could they expect in a combat where their powerful 
Master had been overcome? Would they be ready 
to die to prove the truth of a falsehood? Certainly 
not, unless they were victims of hallucination. 

Pilate was puzzled; but in any event, his presence 
in Jerusalem was absolutely necessary, not only to 
prevent disorder but to inquire exactly into what had 
happened. There had been a failure of discipline, 
violation of the sepulchre and robbery of the body; 
these offenses could not remain unpunished. He 
called Caius and said,- * 

Prepare an escort; we will return to Jerusalem.” 

‘‘ But we have just arrived, Governor, and I thought 
that you would at least take several days’ rest.” 

“I really have need of it, but strange things are 
happening in Jerusalem; it appears that we have not 
finished with Jesus of Nazareth. His sepulchre has 
been violated and His body carried away by the dis- 
ciples. At least that is what the chief priests suppose. 


370 


THE CENTURION 


But the disciples hold that their Master is risen.’’ 

‘‘ You know, Governor, that He predicted it.” 

‘‘ No, I know nothing about it, but it matters very 
little. I suppose you do not believe in His resurrec- 
tion? ” 

I believe in it.” 

It is unheard of,” said Pilate in an angry tone. 
‘‘If the dead are allowed to come out of their graves, 
the earth will become uninhabitable.” 

“ This danger is not a great one, for the dead would 
not abuse their permission if you gave it to them. 
But Jesus of Nazareth had a habit of doing a great 
many things without permission.” 

Caius did not wait for Pilate’s answer but went 
out to prepare the escort. 

Hardly had Pilate entered his palace in the Tower 
of Antonia, when Caiphas and his brother-in-law Ele- 
azer, oldest son of Annas, begged an audience. He 
received them under one of the porticoes. After the 
customary salutations, Pilate said to them, 

“ Your messenger reached me in Caesarea, and you 
see I have not delayed in coming, for I hold that the 
violators of the sepulchre and the robbers of the body 
should be severely punished, as well as the sentinels 
who slept instead of watching.” 

“ Permit me, Governor,” said Caiphas, in a suave 
tone, “ to bring to your notice that the soldiers who 
guarded the tomb are not Romans but Jews; they are 
the guardians of our Temple.” 

“ What then? ” 


PILATE’S LAST ACT 


371 

“ In that case, their punishment belongs to us, 
should we judge fit.” 

“ Delinquent Jews are under my authority as well 
as Romans, because I represent Caesar and they are 
Caesar’s subjects.” 

I do not contest your authority over the Jews, 
Governor, nor your right to punish them for all com- 
mon crimes and delinquencies. But it is a question 
here of a light offense against discipline by our own 
guards under our authority. It was by our order that 
they went to guard the tomb, and it is to us they 
should render an account of the accomplishment of 
their duty.” 

Pilate was not convinced, but he was alarmed at 
the prospect of a fresh conflict with the priests and 
said. 

You wish me then to examine and punish of- 
fenses committed by the disciples of the Nazarene 
alone ? ” 

No, Governor, despite the gravity of their of- 
fense, we wish them neither condemned nor chastised. 
They are poor, ignorant men, fanaticised by their 
Master and merit pity.” 

But, then,” said Pilate, astonished, what do you 
come to ask of me ? ” 

‘‘We come to ask you to do nothing that might 
renew or prolong this Messianic agitation from which 
we have all suffered. Let us keep silence and forget 
these events that have so excited the people. It was 
, necessary for Jesus of Nazareth to die, but it is not 


372 


THE CENTURION 


at all necessary for us to know what has become of 
His body/’ 

A long silence followed. Pilate no longer recog- 
nized the vindictive and hateful Sanhedrites of the 
preceding days, and asked himself what could be the 
reason of this new change of ground on the part of 
the priests. At last, he told his visitors their advice 
would be remembered in the decision he would make, 
and they both retired. 

Early the next day he received much information 
on the great event. Camilla told him all she had 
learned from Myriam, Nicodemus and other sources. 
On his part Caius, anxious to know everything, had 
seen the disciples, believed what they said and made 
a report of all to Pilate. Lastly, Nicodemus had in- 
terrogated the guards who had circulated the fable 
of their sleep by the tomb, and several of them had 
confidentially told him how the priests had bribed 
them. Two of them were secretly brought by Caius 
and Nicodemus before the Governor, and they de- 
clared, under his formal promise to protect them 
against the priests, that they had not slept, but had 
been thrown down by an earthquake and struck with 
fear at the sight of a personage whose garments shone 
like the snow and whose face was as bright as the 
sun. 

Who was it,” asked Pilate. 

We do not know,” said the guards, but we saw 
him overturn the stone of the sepulchre and seat him- 
self upon it. Then we fled away and went to tell the 
Priests of the Temple what had happened.” 


PILATE’S LAST ACT 


373 


What did they say to you ? ” 

They gave us a great sum of money and made 
us promise to declare that we were asleep and that 
the Prophet’s disciples had carried His body away.” 

“ But did you not know that you were confessing 
to a grave infraction of discipline? ” 

Yes, but they said, ^ If the Governor hears 
of this, we will win him over and shelter you from all 
danger of punishment.’ ” 

‘‘Wretches!” breathed the Governor. And when 
he was alone, Pilate said to himself, “ Now, I under- 
stand their false attitude and pretended benevolence. 
They are vile informers, and I ought to punish them; 
they fear now that their fraud will be divulged. Ah, 
if only I did not dread information and denunciation 
in Rome, if my powers were more extensive and gave 
me larger immunity. . . . But why create for 

myself new embarrassments? Everything consid- 
ered, I had better close my eyes and let events take 
their course. But I will address to Tiberius Caesar 
a detailed account of all that has happened in connec- 
tion with Jesus of Nazareth, and all that I have done 
to prevent popular agitation in this colony. It is my 
duty to account to the Emperor, not only for my ad- 
ministration, but for every important event.” 

Eventually, Pilate made his report to Tiberius, and 
though he did not believe in the divinity of Jesus, he 
made known to his Emperor what had been told him 
of the miracles accomplished. He rehearsed the 
Prophet’s trial, and justified as well as he could the 
condemnation pronounced against Him in the interest 


374 


THE CENTURION 


of peace, to conciliate the priesthood and to prevent 
all rebellion against Roman authority. Lastly, he re- 
lated the final events accomplished in Jerusalem and 
stated that Jesus of Nazareth had left numberless dis- 
ciples who firmly believed that their Master was risen 
from the dead. 

This report produced such an effect upon Tiberius 
that he for a time thought of placing Jesus of Naza- 
reth among the other gods of the empire. 


VI 

THE FIRST NEOPHYTES 

C ONTRARY to men, whose influence and activity 
ends with death, Jesus of Nazareth had said, 
‘‘ When I shall be lifted above the earth — (that is to 
say, crucified), I shall draw all things to myself.’’ 
This prophecy was about to begin its accomplishment, 
slowly at first, and then with a rapidity that would 
astonish the ages. The divine attraction of the Cruci- 
fied had manifested itself even upon the Cross. On 
each side of the dying Saviour, two robbers were 
also to die. One of them used the remnant of his 
strength in blaspheming and united his imprecations 
with those of the Messiah’s enemies. The other suf- 
fered in silence. He who was guilty tried to imitate 
the resignation of the Innocent, and throwing upon 
Jesus a supplicating look, the good thief said, 

‘‘Lord, remember me, when Thou shalt come into 


THE FIRST NEOPHYTES 


375 


Thy Kingdom/' Jesus immediately rewarded his faith 
by addressing to him these consoling words : “ Amen, 

Amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me 
in Paradise." 

A rnoment later it was the Centurion whom Jesus 
drew to Him and whose solemn act of faith was fol- 
lowed by that of great numbers. But it was now, in 
the present, that He would draw all men to Himself, 
now that His resurrection had come in such a glorious 
way to prove His divinity. 

Already the news of the great event had spread 
throughout Judea. Vainly the chief priests attempted 
conspiracies to hush it. They had only succeeded in 
silencing Pilate. Even in the Governor's palace, 
Caius had made converts. All the Roman soldiers 
who had assisted with him at the Crucifixion like him 
had confessed the divinity of Jesus, and the news of 
His resurrection had confirmed them in their faith. 

Claudia and Camilla no longer doubted and tried to 
inculcate their belief into their father's mind, but the 
old patrician resisted. ‘‘ At my age," he said, one 
does not abandon the beliefs of one's whole life." 
On each new apparition of Jesus, Camilla came to tell 
him of the news she had heard and of the growing 
number of witnesses who attested to the resurrection. 
‘‘ Not only the apostles and the disciples believe," she 
said, ‘‘ but a great number of pious and unprejudiced 
Jews have taken their places among the neophytes." 
There were even believers among the Scribes and el- 
ders, and she named Gamaliel, Nicodemus, and Joseph 
of Arimathea. 


37 ^ 


THE CENTURION 


‘‘For a long time these have been inclined to be- 
lieve,” objected Claudius. 

“ It is true,” answered Camilla, “ but you remem- 
ber that they did not wish to recognize the divinity of 
Christ.” 

“ And how have they been convinced of it ? ” 

“ Listen to their story, Father. At the moment 
when Jesus died, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea 
were on Calvary, and Gamaliel in the Temple. The 
two former heard the great cry that the Crucified sent 
vibrating throughout the earth as He breathed His 
last sigh. They felt the mountain shake violently un- 
der their feet; they saw the rocks broken apart; sep- 
ulchres open, and the dead arise and walk. They ran 
to the Temple, where they found Gamaliel in an ex- 
traordinary state of agitation. He had seen the 
bronze doors swing out of themselves and the veil of 
the Temple rent, and phantoms, or rather the risen 
dead pass under the porticoes. When all three met 
they pronounced the same words, ‘ He was, indeed, the 
Son of God.’ Two days later they were confirmed 
in their faith when they saw the open grave and in- 
terrogated those to whom Jesus of Nazareth had 
deigned to show Himself living.” 

The old Senator was silent. 

Then Camilla spoke to him of her love for Caius. 
She told him how noble and generous he had been; 
how his faith had been stronger than his love which 
nevertheless was very great. 

“ Ah, Father, if you knew with what a sword you 
pierced his heart when you told him you would never 


THE FIRST NEOPHYTES 


377 


consent to our marriage should he become the 
Prophet’s disciple ! But that did not prevent his man- 
ifesting his faith on the great day. When he came to 
bid me farewell and showed me the strength of his 
conviction, he said,^ 

‘ You know, Camilla, the depth of my love for 
you, yet, I could not wish to join my future with yours 
did you remain faithful to the worship of Jupiter.’ ” 

‘‘ Is this the reason,” interrupted the father, ‘‘ that 
now you believe in the Prophet’s divinity? ” 

Oh, Father, I beg you to be a better judge of your 
daughter’s character; do not attribute her faith to 
such an unworthy motive. I will never marry Caius 
without your consent, but let me believe in the divinity 
of Jesus of Nazareth. If you had known Him as I 
knew Him! If you had heard His wonderful words, 
if you had been present at the resurrection of Lazarus, 
if you had but questioned those who saw Him risen 
again, you too would believe.” 

‘‘ Where are His disciples now ? ” 

‘‘They have left for Galilee, where their Master 
sent them to meet Him.” 

“ Galilee ? Caius, who spent two years there, told 
me it was a very interesting country to visit. I should 
like to go into Galilee before we start back to Rome. 
It is the season for it, why should we not go there to- 
gether now ? ” 

“ Oh, yes. Father, Claudia and I have spoken of it.” 
“ That is well. I will arrange everything with Pi- 
late. Caius could serve as our guide and escort us 
with a few legionaries.” 


THE CENTURION 


378 

Several days later, the joyous caravan set their 
horses galloping down the sinuous slope leading from 
Jerusalem to the banl<s of the Jordan. 


VII 

THE SUPREMACY OF PETER 

O BEDIENT to the message received from their 
risen Master, the apostles had returned into 
Galilee. How long the route had seemed from Je- 
rusalem to Capharnaum, and what sad memories it 
awakened of their last Passover in the Holy City. 

It was not yet three weeks since they had gone up to 
Jerusalem following their beloved Master, who was in 
all the flower of His sacred humanity, in all His virile 
strength, in all the power of His divinity. And now 
they were coming back alone, perhaps alone forever, 
for He whom they had followed for three years was 
no more. He had, indeed, warned them of His death 
a long time before, but they had never understood why 
this death was necessary. Most probably He was 
risen again now, as He had predicted to them and none 
of them had any doubt of it. But what would be the 
new life of their risen Jesus? 

Would He take up with them again the life of 
former days, going about through the cities and vil- 
lages curing all infirmities and human suiYering, an- 
nouncing to the people the establishment of God’s 
Kingdom? They did not know. 

This life together, partaking somewhat of the 


THE SUPREMACY OF PETER 379 

nomad character, had had great charm, by their 
beautiful lake and along the Jordan, in the midst 
of a wondering population astonished by the num- 
berless miracles the Master accomplished. Oh, how 
sweet it was every day to hear His gentle voice. 
His eloquent words and to see Him always, to travel 
with Him, to pitch their leafy tents with His, to 
gather miraculous draughts of fishes with Him, to see 
Him surrounded by admiring crowds, ready to pro- 
claim Him King. Was it really all at an end? 

Already on several occasions, they had seen Him 
again, as He suddenly appeared before them, disap- 
pearing in the sanie way, after having spoken words 
to calm their fears and to console them. And after 
these visits, which were all too short, solitude had 
again encompassed them, and when they had said to 
the curious who questioned them that their Master had 
risen, they were not believed. What would become 
of them now and what would they do without Him? 
It was especially now, coming back to their native 
country, that the immensity of their loss and the un- 
certainty of their future overwhelmed them. They 
felt themselves orphans; their hearthstone was de- 
serted and their dwelling empty. Like unto their 
exiled ancestors, on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, 
they were seated on the shore of their beloved lake, 
and some of them wept in silence. Night was com- 
ing and they were hungry. In the happy days that 
would never return it was Judas of Kerioth who had 
furnished them with provisions. But the unfortunate 
man, whose very name they tried to forget, him whom 


THE CENTURION 


380 

they cursed among themselves had disappeared for- 
ever, like a millstone thrown into the depths of the 
sea. 

Peter was motionless and silent like the others; 
nevertheless, was he not to be hereafter head of the 
little disorganized community? Was it not his part 
to revive their energy and courage and show them, 
while waiting to become fishers of men, what they 
must do? Then he rose and stepping toward the 
boat, said, I am going to fish.’’ 

And we, too, will go with thee,” answered the six 
other apostles with him. 

All night long they drifted over the lake in every 
direction, stopping at all the good fishing places and 
patiently casting their nets. But the lake seemed as 
empty as their solitary dwelling, and when dawn 
broke, they tried a last chance not far from the shore, 
barely distinguishable through the morning fog. Sud- 
denly, a cry arose from the beach. 

‘‘Children, have you nothing to eat?” 

“ No,” they answered. 

“ Throw your nets to the right of the boat,” con- 
tinued the unknown voice, “ and you will find.” 

John leaned over towards Peter and said, “ It is the 
Lord.” Always impulsive, under the stimulus of his 
ardent faith Peter flung himself into the sea and 
swam ashore, while the others cast the net over the 
right side of the boat. Instantly it was filled with 
fish, and it was with difficulty they hauled it to land. 

Oh, great and beautiful day ! Their adored Master 
had come back to them, and the wonder and sweet- 


THE SUPREMACY OF PETER 381 


ness of their former life was about to begin again. 
Admiration, love, and all the holy joys of friend- 
ship filled the hearts of the guests at this frugal break- 
fast, lighted by the rosy sweetness of an early spring 
morning. Peter alone resumed his anxiety when the 
meal was over. He had not forgotten his three 
denials in the court of the high-priest and was tor- 
mented by remorse. How could he ask pardon? 
What proof of love could he give to make his Master 
forget them? This was what he asked himself while 
he looked sadly at his Saviour without speaking. It 
was Jesus who first broke silence. 

“ Simori, son of John, lovest thou Me more than 
these ?’^ 

Peter started and looked down. 

He puts this question to me, he thought, and not to 
the others, because He is certain of the others’ love 
and He doubts mine. And how shall I dare answer 
that I love him more than the others, who remained 
faithful to Him whilst I denied Him. 

All the while his heart was overflowing with love 
and he could not silence it. 

“ Yes, Lord,” he answered, Thou knowest that I 
love Thee,” and he looked tenderly at the Master. 

Jesus repeated His question, as if He did not accept 
His disciple’s answer. 

‘‘ Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than 
these ? ” 

The apostle in consternation dropped his head. 
“ He no longer calls me Peter,” he thought, ‘‘ He gives 

me the name I bore when I was a stranger to Him. 

25 


382 


THE CENTURION 


And nevertheless my faith and love are greater to- 
day than on the day when He gave me the name of 
Peter, and He Himself knows far better than I how 
much I do love Him.” 

“ Lord,” he answered anew, raising his head and 
fixing his eyes bathed in tears upon those of His 
Master, Thou knowest that I love Thee.” 

And for the third time, Jesus put to him the same 
question. 

Peter understood that three protestations of love 
springing from the depths of his heart were needed 
to efface those three denials already so many times 
washed away in his tears. Overcome with sorrow, 
he threw himself at the feet of Jesus, crying to Him 
from the depths of his soul, - 

“ Lord, thou knowest all things ; Thou knowest that 
I love Thee.” 

To the first two answers of His apostle, Jesus had 
said,--^ 

** Feed My lambs,” but to the third affirmation of 
love and adoration, Peter heard his Master say, “ Feed 
My sheep.” 

Thus was established the supremacy of Peter. 

All the flock was thus confided to him throughout 
all time! It was he who should be the universal 
pastor, supreme head of the new kingdom founded by 
Jesus Christ. What a dignity! But what sacrifices, 
what sufferings ! What persecutions this dignity 
would impose upon him! 

‘‘ Amen, Amen, I say to thee, Peter, when thou wert 
young, thou didst follow thy own path and went 


THE THRONE OF THE NATIONS 383 

where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old thou 
shalt hold out thy hands and another shall lead thee 
and shall conduct thee where thou wouldst not/’ 

The days of freedom and independence had passed 
and would return no more. Hereafter, he would be 
the servant of servants, the slave of slaves; chained to 
the heaviest and most painful offices, bearing his 
cross like his Master, up to that time when, like unto 
Him, he should be crucified. 

Such were the attributes of his new and lofty 
dignity — slavery, combat, persecution and martyr- 
dom. 

For long time Jesus conversed with His apostles, 
and having told them to meet Him upon that mountain, 
since known as the “ Mount of the Beatitudes,” He 
disappeared from their sight. 


VIII 

'ADVENT OF JESUS TO THE THRONE OF THE NATIONS 

S EVERAL days later, on the mountain which He 
had indicated to them, apostles and disciples 
numbering more than five hundred were once more 
united to hear the words of the divine Master. It 
was there that two years before He had delivered His 
wonderful sermon on the happiness awaiting those 
who suffer, and the misfortune of those who but re- 
joice. 

What great things had been accomplished during 
these two years. Humanity had been regenerated and 


THE CENTURION 


384 

and did not know it. The world had been redeemed 
and ignored it. The kingdom of God was definitely 
established upon the earth, and the kings of the earth 
had not been told of it. To accomplish this great 
work, the death of a God had been necessary, and it 
was only understood by a few pure and righteous 
souls. 

And now the august Victim had risen again. 

No longer would He be submissive to the powers 
of darkness and death. From the modest throne of 
Juda, the Son of David would rise to the throne of 
all nations. The day of His royal coming had ar- 
rived. The faithful disciples, their eyes fixed upon 
the summit from which He had spoken to them so 
eloquently in former days, awaited His coming. 

Suddenly, in the full light of day, the Sacred 
Humanity of the Son of God showed itself, just as 
the crowd had so often seen Him on all the roads of 
Galilee. And when He spoke, they recognized that 
voice which had grown so familiar. It was, indeed, 
Jesus of Nazareth whose name had re-echoed for 
three years. It was, indeed. He whom the princes 
of the priests and Pilate had put to death and who 
was now full of life, speaking and moving before the 
multitudes. But how great and how sovereign were 
the words He pronounced. No longer was it the 
Doctor teaching man truth, interpreting the Scrip- 
tures, confounding the Pharisees by His marvelous 
learning. It was the Conqueror announcing to all 
nations His final victory over His enemies and death. 
It was the King of Kings taking possession of the uni- 


DISCIPLES AMONG THE GENTILES 385 


verse and proclaiming His universal domination over 
the world and throughout the heavens. 

‘‘ All power has been given to me in heaven and 
on earth/’ His powerful voice proclaimed. Go, then, 
throughout the entire world, preach the gospel to all 
creatures, teach all nations, baptize them in the Name 
of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and 
teach them to observe absolutely all that I have com- 
manded you. And behold, I am with you all days 
even to the consummation of the world.” 

What a superhuman proclamation ! 

Oh, Princes of the priests ! oh, Pilate ! oh, Tiberius ! 
what are your torches of power by the side of this uni- 
versal sovereignty whose empire embraces all worlds, 
earth and heaven ! 

The Voice had become silent, the Divine Apparition 
had disappeared, and the disciples remained motion- 
less, kneeling, their hands raised towards Heaven, in 
the ideal contemplation of the Master who was no 
longer visible to their eyes of flesh, but who had prom- 
ised to be always with them. 


IX 

THE FIRST DISCIPLES AMONG THE GENTILES 

T his great manifestation of the supreme and 
universal royalty of the Son of David had had 
other witnesses who were not Jews, but who had shared 
the profound emotion of the disciples. 

On the edge of the crowd, at the foot of the hill, 


386 


THE CENTURION 


holding themselves apart in silence and stupefaction, 
were several persons on horseback. They were the 
Centurion, Camilla, Claudia and the old Senator 
Claudius, with their escort. On the road which led 
them to Tiberias, they had met the group of disciples, 
hastening to the mountain where Jesus was to show 
Himself to them, and they had followed, in the hope 
of perhaps witnessing some new prodigy. But not only 
had they seen with their own eyes the Divine Appari- 
tion and heard with their ears His wonderful speech, 
but another miracle had been accomplished in the soul 
of the old Claudius. 

He had felt throughout his entire being the great- 
est emotion of his life, and said to Camilla before she 
pronounced even a word, I have seen, I have heard, 
I believe.” Tears flowed from his eyes, great sobs 
rose from his breast, and not finding words to ex- 
press what he felt, he cried out in admiration : ‘‘ Oh, 

Wonderful! oh. Mysterious! oh. Sovereign Master of 
earth and heaven ! ” 

Slowly the multitude went down to the shores of 
the Lake of Galilee, and the Centurion’s little caravan 
followed it. Camilla and Claudia were full of won- 
der; their hearts overflowed with joy on hearing their 
father’s profession of faith. Soon they arrived at 
the border of the lake whose waves they had seen 
shining from afar off, and after having visited Ti- 
berias, rode along the coast towards Magdala. How 
beautiful was Galilee, in the splendor of spring-time, 
with the shining lake reflecting its beauty; but it was 


DISCIPLES AMONG THE GENTILES 387 

not only the festival of nature, it was the feast of 
the new faith uniting all these souls of good-will. It 
was the festival day of two hearts whose destiny here- 
after would be sealed by an undying love. 

Old Claudius was in a state of rapture, and when 
they partook of their evening meal under a green 
arbor on the banks of the lake, taking Camilla's hand 
and putting it in that of Caius, said to them, “ Be 
united, my children, and glory to the Son of David, 
Son of God." 


From Magdala the voyage became a real pilgrim- 
age to the spots sanctified by the earthly life of the 
Man God. The four pilgrims who now formed but 
one family went to visit the humble city where Jesus 
had spent thirty years of His life. 

Nazareth, whose name signifies “ Flower " and 
‘‘ Offspring," was in its fullest beauty. The trees 
were already covered with leaves and the air sweet 
with fragrance, and in the hearts of the betrothed the 
flower of love expanded before the enchanted eyes of 
the old Patrician. Never had a journey been more 
beautiful, nor the aspirations of each more perfectly 
fulfilled. 

These new disciples of Jesus never wearied of ask- 
ing the Nazareans about the childhood years and 
early days of the Prophet, and marvelled at all 
that was told them. They wanted also to see Naim 
and to know the widow whose only son had been 


388 


THE CENTURION 


brought back to life, and their emotion was deep on 
hearing from this mother and son of the great mira- 
cle worked by Jesus in their favor! 

By little journeys, their hearts overflowing with 
ideal happiness, they returned to Jerusalem, passing 
through Samaria to see Shechem and Jacob’s wells, and 
to hear the touching story of Photina, the Samaritan 
woman. 

In Jerusalem, again they found scepticism, incre- 
dulity and the hatred of priests and Scribes. But 
nothing now could shake their faith in the resurrection 
and in the divinity of Jesus. The marvelous events 
which followed confirmed them even more in their 
belief. From the Cenacle to the summit of the Mount 
of Olives, they accompanied the risen Christ, followed 
by His numerous disciples and saw Him rise majes- 
tically to Heaven. Witnesses of the descent of the 
Holy Ghost upon the apostles, they heard the first 
preaching of Peter, who converted thousands of Jews. 
And finally, they were the first among the Gentiles to 
receive baptism. Later on, in the Cenacle, become 
the first Christian Church, the chief of the apostles 
celebrated the marriage of the betrothed couple of 
Magdala. 


THE END 








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